Members of the European region of the World Health Organization approved a resolution Tuesday in response to Ukraine’s invasion that could result in the closure of Russia’s regional office and the suspension of meetings in the country.
In the special session of the European region, the resolution, supported by Ukraine and the European Union, was adopted with 43 votes in favor, 3 against (Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan) and 2 abstentions.
Supporters see the decision as an important political step towards isolating Moscow and say they are working hard to avoid any significant impact on Russia’s healthcare system. The resolution speaks of a “health emergency” in Ukraine, referring to the risks of chronic and infectious diseases as well as mass deaths from Russian military actions.
Russia’s envoy Andrey Plutnitsky opposed the decision and said he was “extremely disappointed”.
“We believe this is a moment of great damage to the global health system,” he said during a meeting with WHO members and senior officials.
Some criticized the WHO decision, saying it didn’t go far enough. Diplomats told Reuters they had abandoned efforts to remove Russia from the WHO’s board of directors over technical legal issues, but members could try to freeze Russia’s voting rights at a meeting later this month.
source: Noticias
