https://t.co/ruxFS2AwZw Muchos tendrán que dar explicaciones! Eso es seguro!— Dr. Mario Lama (@drmariolama) April 10, 2020
The Wall Street Journal.
Lost in Beijing: The Story of the WHO
Lanhee J. Chen 2 days ago
April 10, 2020. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP) (Photo by )COVID-19: 1 lakh dead in 101 days
Editor's Note: The world is reeling from the COVID-19 crisis and the vulnerable segments of our society are the most at risk. Microsoft News India is supporting HelpAge India buy hygiene kits for the elderly. You can help the charity reach many more. Donate here for the cause (you will be directed to the HelpAge India site).
Editor’s note: The opinions in this article are the author’s, as published by our content partner, and do not represent the views of Microsoft News or Microsoft.
The World Health Organization isn’t just “China centric,” as President Trump called it on Tuesday. It is also broken and compromised. The WHO fell short in its dithering reaction to the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which claimed more than 11,000 lives. Now its response to the coronavirus pandemic shows it is willing to put politics ahead of public health. The way the WHO has consistently acted to placate China’s leaders makes clear the need for fundamental reform.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wearing a suit and tie© -/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
The U.S. is the biggest financial contributor to the WHO—more than $400 million in 2019, when China sent only $44 million, according to the U.S. State Department. Mr. Trump suggested that the U.S. might hold its funding while his administration takes a “good look” at what the country is getting for its money. He and Congress should go further.
While Washington pays, Beijing works behind the scenes to influence WHO leaders. The current director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was backed strongly by the Chinese government during his campaign for the job. Mr. Tedros was a controversial pick, dogged by allegations of having covered up cholera outbreaks in his native Ethiopia, where he served as health minister (2005-12) and foreign minister (2012-16). During those years, China invested in Ethiopia and lent it billions of dollars. Shortly after winning his WHO election, Mr. Tedros traveled to Beijing and lauded the country’s health-care system: “We can all learn something from China.”
In pics: Aerial views of cities affected by COVID-19
Slide 1 of 22: NITEROI, BRAZIL - MARCH 21: An aerial view of a near empty Rio-Niteroi bridge that connects the cities of Niterói and Rio de Janeiro during Rio de Janeiros lock down aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on March 21, 2020 in Niteroi, Brazil. Rio de Janeiro's state government imposed restrictions to public transport. Bus lines and trains are closed, ferries and subway are running at a limited capacity. According to the Ministry of Health, as Friday, March 20, Brazil had 978 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) and at least 11 recorded fatalities. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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1/22 SLIDES © Buda Mendes/Getty Images
NITERÓI, BRAZIL
A near empty Rio–Niterói Bridge that connects the cities of Niterói and Rio de Janeiro, on March 21.
Under Mr. Tedros’s leadership, the WHO has accepted China’s falsehoods about the coronavirus and helped launder them into respectable-looking public-health assessments.
On Jan. 14, before an official WHO delegation had even visited China, the group parroted Beijing’s claim that there was “no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission.” Two weeks later, after China had reported more than 4,500 cases of the virus and over 70 people in other countries were sick with it, Mr. Tedros visited China and heaped praise on its leaders for their “transparency.”
Also watch: Pandemic could provoke 'deepest recession of our lifetimes': WTO chief (Video by AFP)
Recall that China waited six weeks after patients first saw symptoms in Wuhan to institute a lockdown there. During this time Chinese authorities censored and punished physicians who tried to sound the alarm, repeatedly denied that the virus could be transmitted between humans, and held a public banquet in Wuhan for tens of thousands of families. In the meantime, more than five million people left or fled Wuhan, according to the city’s mayor. This included the patient with the first confirmed case of the virus in America.
The WHO finally declared a public-health emergency on Jan. 30, after nearly 10,000 cases of the virus had been confirmed. China’s reported figures rose in early February to more than 17,000 infections and 361 deaths, yet Mr. Tedros rebuked Mr. Trump for restricting travel from China and urged other countries not to follow suit. He called the virus’s spread outside China “minimal and slow.” It took until March 11 for the WHO to declare a pandemic. By that point the official world-wide case count was 118,000 people in 114 countries.
China’s influence is also apparent in the WHO’s exclusion of Taiwan. The WHO didn’t even bother replying to Taiwanese inquiries in December about whether the coronavirus could, contrary to Beijing’s claims, be transmitted between humans.
Last month a Hong Kong TV reporter asked Bruce Aylward, who leads the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus, if the organization would reconsider its refusal to allow Taiwan to join. Dr. Aylward, on a remote video connection, sits silent and expressionless for nearly 10 seconds before the reporter prompts him again: “Hello?”
“I’m sorry,” he finally says, “I couldn’t hear—I can’t hear your question, Yvonne.”
“Let me repeat the question,” she says.
“No, that’s OK. Let’s move to another one then.”
When she presses him on Taiwan, he terminates the connection. The reporter calls back and tries a different tack: “I just want to see if you can comment a bit on how Taiwan has done so far in terms of containing the virus.”
His reply: “Well, we’ve already talked about China, and, you know, when you look across all the different areas of China, they’ve actually all done quite a good job.”
The exchange demonstrates how the WHO prioritizes politics over public health. It has internalized Beijing’s view of Taiwan and seeks to praise China’s leaders at every turn. And at no point during the crisis has the WHO substantively investigated the Chinese regime’s claims about the virus or been transparent about the thinking behind its decisions.
As the biggest financial contributor to the WHO, the U.S. has the leverage to push for radical reform. Congress should condition all future funding on the WHO’s explaining in detail how it reaches its public-health decisions and rigorously and independently investigating the extent of disease outbreaks.
The U.S. should work aggressively to change the culture and leadership of the WHO. The Trump administration took a good first step in January by creating a special envoy at the State Department focused on countering China’s attempts to control international organizations. The WHO’s next director-general must not be a rubber stamp for Beijing.
If efforts to transform the WHO are ineffective, the U.S. may have no choice but to walk away and start over. That could mean creating an alternative organization open to any country willing to abide by higher standards of transparency, good governance and the sharing of best practices. The world needs an organization that can be trusted to address public-health problems that transcend borders—if not the WHO, then something else.
Mr. Chen is a fellow at the Hoover Institution and director of domestic policy studies in the public policy program at Stanford University.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/opinion/lost-in-beijing-the-story-of-the-who/ar-BB12lYCo?li=AAggbRN
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Lost in Beijing: The Story of the WHO
Lanhee J. Chen 2 days ago
April 10, 2020. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP) (Photo by )COVID-19: 1 lakh dead in 101 days
Editor's Note: The world is reeling from the COVID-19 crisis and the vulnerable segments of our society are the most at risk. Microsoft News India is supporting HelpAge India buy hygiene kits for the elderly. You can help the charity reach many more. Donate here for the cause (you will be directed to the HelpAge India site).
Editor’s note: The opinions in this article are the author’s, as published by our content partner, and do not represent the views of Microsoft News or Microsoft.
The World Health Organization isn’t just “China centric,” as President Trump called it on Tuesday. It is also broken and compromised. The WHO fell short in its dithering reaction to the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which claimed more than 11,000 lives. Now its response to the coronavirus pandemic shows it is willing to put politics ahead of public health. The way the WHO has consistently acted to placate China’s leaders makes clear the need for fundamental reform.
![Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wearing a suit and tie]({"default":{"load":"default","w":"55","h":"37","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB12kGUa.img?h=369&w=553&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=256&y=128"}})
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wearing a suit and tie© -/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
The U.S. is the biggest financial contributor to the WHO—more than $400 million in 2019, when China sent only $44 million, according to the U.S. State Department. Mr. Trump suggested that the U.S. might hold its funding while his administration takes a “good look” at what the country is getting for its money. He and Congress should go further.
While Washington pays, Beijing works behind the scenes to influence WHO leaders. The current director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was backed strongly by the Chinese government during his campaign for the job. Mr. Tedros was a controversial pick, dogged by allegations of having covered up cholera outbreaks in his native Ethiopia, where he served as health minister (2005-12) and foreign minister (2012-16). During those years, China invested in Ethiopia and lent it billions of dollars. Shortly after winning his WHO election, Mr. Tedros traveled to Beijing and lauded the country’s health-care system: “We can all learn something from China.”
In pics: Aerial views of cities affected by COVID-19
![Slide 1 of 22: NITEROI, BRAZIL - MARCH 21: An aerial view of a near empty Rio-Niteroi bridge that connects the cities of Niterói and Rio de Janeiro during Rio de Janeiros lock down aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on March 21, 2020 in Niteroi, Brazil. Rio de Janeiro's state government imposed restrictions to public transport. Bus lines and trains are closed, ferries and subway are running at a limited capacity. According to the Ministry of Health, as Friday, March 20, Brazil had 978 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) and at least 11 recorded fatalities. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)]({"default":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB11wXNA.img?h=416&w=799&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f","size3column":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB11wXNA.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f","size2column":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB11wXNA.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f"} "A Day in Rio de Janeiro as the City Begins to Shut Down - Buda Mendes/Getty Images")
Slide 1 of 22: NITEROI, BRAZIL - MARCH 21: An aerial view of a near empty Rio-Niteroi bridge that connects the cities of Niterói and Rio de Janeiro during Rio de Janeiros lock down aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on March 21, 2020 in Niteroi, Brazil. Rio de Janeiro's state government imposed restrictions to public transport. Bus lines and trains are closed, ferries and subway are running at a limited capacity. According to the Ministry of Health, as Friday, March 20, Brazil had 978 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) and at least 11 recorded fatalities. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
Next Slide
Full Screen
1/22 SLIDES © Buda Mendes/Getty Images
NITERÓI, BRAZIL
A near empty Rio–Niterói Bridge that connects the cities of Niterói and Rio de Janeiro, on March 21.
Under Mr. Tedros’s leadership, the WHO has accepted China’s falsehoods about the coronavirus and helped launder them into respectable-looking public-health assessments.
On Jan. 14, before an official WHO delegation had even visited China, the group parroted Beijing’s claim that there was “no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission.” Two weeks later, after China had reported more than 4,500 cases of the virus and over 70 people in other countries were sick with it, Mr. Tedros visited China and heaped praise on its leaders for their “transparency.”
Also watch: Pandemic could provoke 'deepest recession of our lifetimes': WTO chief (Video by AFP)
Recall that China waited six weeks after patients first saw symptoms in Wuhan to institute a lockdown there. During this time Chinese authorities censored and punished physicians who tried to sound the alarm, repeatedly denied that the virus could be transmitted between humans, and held a public banquet in Wuhan for tens of thousands of families. In the meantime, more than five million people left or fled Wuhan, according to the city’s mayor. This included the patient with the first confirmed case of the virus in America.
The WHO finally declared a public-health emergency on Jan. 30, after nearly 10,000 cases of the virus had been confirmed. China’s reported figures rose in early February to more than 17,000 infections and 361 deaths, yet Mr. Tedros rebuked Mr. Trump for restricting travel from China and urged other countries not to follow suit. He called the virus’s spread outside China “minimal and slow.” It took until March 11 for the WHO to declare a pandemic. By that point the official world-wide case count was 118,000 people in 114 countries.
China’s influence is also apparent in the WHO’s exclusion of Taiwan. The WHO didn’t even bother replying to Taiwanese inquiries in December about whether the coronavirus could, contrary to Beijing’s claims, be transmitted between humans.
Last month a Hong Kong TV reporter asked Bruce Aylward, who leads the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus, if the organization would reconsider its refusal to allow Taiwan to join. Dr. Aylward, on a remote video connection, sits silent and expressionless for nearly 10 seconds before the reporter prompts him again: “Hello?”
“I’m sorry,” he finally says, “I couldn’t hear—I can’t hear your question, Yvonne.”
“Let me repeat the question,” she says.
“No, that’s OK. Let’s move to another one then.”
When she presses him on Taiwan, he terminates the connection. The reporter calls back and tries a different tack: “I just want to see if you can comment a bit on how Taiwan has done so far in terms of containing the virus.”
His reply: “Well, we’ve already talked about China, and, you know, when you look across all the different areas of China, they’ve actually all done quite a good job.”
The exchange demonstrates how the WHO prioritizes politics over public health. It has internalized Beijing’s view of Taiwan and seeks to praise China’s leaders at every turn. And at no point during the crisis has the WHO substantively investigated the Chinese regime’s claims about the virus or been transparent about the thinking behind its decisions.
As the biggest financial contributor to the WHO, the U.S. has the leverage to push for radical reform. Congress should condition all future funding on the WHO’s explaining in detail how it reaches its public-health decisions and rigorously and independently investigating the extent of disease outbreaks.
The U.S. should work aggressively to change the culture and leadership of the WHO. The Trump administration took a good first step in January by creating a special envoy at the State Department focused on countering China’s attempts to control international organizations. The WHO’s next director-general must not be a rubber stamp for Beijing.
If efforts to transform the WHO are ineffective, the U.S. may have no choice but to walk away and start over. That could mean creating an alternative organization open to any country willing to abide by higher standards of transparency, good governance and the sharing of best practices. The world needs an organization that can be trusted to address public-health problems that transcend borders—if not the WHO, then something else.
Mr. Chen is a fellow at the Hoover Institution and director of domestic policy studies in the public policy program at Stanford University.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/opinion/lost-in-beijing-the-story-of-the-who/ar-BB12lYCo?li=AAggbRN
TRADUCCIÓN DE GOOGLE
El periodico de Wall Street.
Perdido en Beijing: la historia de la OMS
Hace Lanhee J. Chen 2 días
10 de abril de 2020. (Foto de Arun SANKAR / AFP) (Foto de)
COVID-19: 1 lakh muerto en 101 días
Nota del editor: El mundo se está recuperando de la crisis de COVID-19 y los segmentos vulnerables de nuestra sociedad son los más expuestos. Microsoft News India está apoyando a HelpAge India a comprar kits de higiene para personas mayores. Puedes ayudar a la caridad a llegar a muchos más. Done aquí por la causa (será dirigido al sitio de HelpAge India).
Nota del editor: las opiniones en este artículo son del autor, según lo publicado por nuestro socio de contenido, y no representan las opiniones de Microsoft News o Microsoft.
La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) no solo está "centrada en China", como lo llamó el presidente Trump el martes. También está rota y comprometida. La OMS se quedó corta en su vacilante reacción a Estados Unidos, que es el mayor contribuyente financiero de la OMS: (EEUU) más de $ 400 millones en 2019, cuando China envió solo $ 44 millones, según el Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos. Trump sugirió que EE. UU. Podría retener sus fondos mientras su administración observa "bien" lo que el país está obteniendo por su dinero. Él y el Congreso deberían ir más allá.
Mientras Washington paga, Beijing trabaja detrás de escena para influir en los líderes de la OMS. El actual director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, recibió un fuerte respaldo del gobierno chino durante su campaña para el puesto. El Sr. Tedros fue una elección controvertida, perseguido por las acusaciones de haber encubierto los brotes de cólera en su Etiopía natal, donde se desempeñó como ministro de salud (2005-12) y ministro de Asuntos Exteriores (2012-16). Durante esos años, China invirtió en Etiopía y le prestó miles de millones de dólares. Poco después de ganar su elección de la OMS, el Sr. Tedros viajó a Beijing y elogió el sistema de salud del país: "Todos podemos aprender algo de China".
En fotos: vistas aéreas de ciudades afectadas por COVID-19 brote de ébola de 2014 en África occidental, que se cobró más de 11,000 vidas. Ahora su respuesta a la pandemia de coronavirus muestra que está dispuesta a poner la política por encima de la salud pública. La forma en que la OMS ha actuado constantemente para aplacar a los líderes de China deja en claro la necesidad de una reforma fundamental.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus con traje y corbata
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus con traje y corbata © - / Agence France-Presse / Getty Images
Diapositiva 1 de 22: NITEROI, BRASIL - 21 DE MARZO: Una vista aérea de un puente Río-Niteroi casi vacío que conecta las ciudades de Niterói y Río de Janeiro durante el bloqueo de Río de Janeiros con el objetivo de detener la propagación del coronavirus (COVID- 19) pandemia el 21 de marzo de 2020 en Niteroi, Brasil. El gobierno del estado de Río de Janeiro impuso restricciones al transporte público. Las líneas de autobús y los trenes están cerrados, los transbordadores y el metro funcionan a una capacidad limitada. Según el Ministerio de Salud, hasta el viernes 20 de marzo, Brasil tenía 978 casos confirmados de coronavirus (COVID-19) y al menos 11 muertes registradas. (Foto de Buda Mendes / Getty Images)Diapositiva 1 de 22: NITEROI, BRASIL - 21 DE MARZO: Una vista aérea de un puente Río-Niteroi casi vacío que conecta las ciudades de Niterói y Río de Janeiro durante el bloqueo de Río de Janeiros con el objetivo de detener la propagación del coronavirus (COVID- 19) pandemia el 21 de marzo de 2020 en NiteroPantalla completa1/22 DIAPOSITIVAS © Buda Mendes / Getty ImagesNITERÓI, BRASILUn puente Río-Niterói casi vacío que conecta las ciudades de Niterói y Río de Janeiro, el 21 de marzo.
Bajo el liderazgo del Sr. Tedros, la OMS ha aceptado las falsedades de China sobre el coronavirus y ayudó a lavarlas en evaluaciones de salud pública de aspecto respetable.
El 14 de enero, antes de que una delegación oficial de la OMS visitara China, el grupo repitió la afirmación de Beijing de que "no había evidencia clara de transmisión de persona a persona". Dos semanas después, después de que China reportó más de 4.500 casos del virus y más de 70 personas en otros países estaban enfermas, el Sr. Tedros visitó China y elogió a sus líderes por su "transparencia".i,
Brasil. El gobierno del estado de Río de Janeiro impuso restricciones al transporte público. Las líneas de autobús y los trenes están cerrados, los transbordadores y el metro funcionan a una capacidad limitada. Según el Ministerio de Salud, hasta el viernes 20 de marzo, Brasil tenía 978 casos confirmados de coronavirus (COVID-19) y al menos 11 muertes registradas. (Foto de Buda Mendes / Getty Images)Siguiente diapositivaObserve también: la pandemia podría provocar la "recesión más profunda de nuestras vidas": jefe de la OMC (Video de AFP)
Recordemos que China esperó seis semanas después de que los pacientes vieron síntomas por primera vez en Wuhan para instituir un encierro allí. Durante este tiempo, las autoridades chinas censuraron y castigaron a los médicos que intentaron hacer sonar la alarma, negaron repetidamente que el virus pudiera transmitirse entre humanos y organizaron un banquete público en Wuhan para decenas de miles de familias. Mientras tanto, más de cinco millones de personas abandonaron o huyeron de Wuhan, según el alcalde de la ciudad. Esto incluyó al paciente con el primer caso confirmado del virus en Estados Unidos.
La OMS finalmente declaró una emergencia de salud pública el 30 de enero, después de que se confirmaron cerca de 10,000 casos del virus. Las cifras reportadas por China aumentaron a principios de febrero a más de 17,000 infecciones y 361 muertes, sin embargo, Tedros lo reprendió por restringir los viajes desde China e instó a otros países a no seguir su ejemplo. Llamó a la propagación del virus fuera de China "mínima y lenta". La OMS tardó hasta el 11 de marzo en declarar una pandemia. En ese momento, el recuento mundial oficial de casos era de 118,000 personas en 114 países.
La influencia de China también es evidente en la exclusión de Taiwán por parte de la OMS. La OMS ni siquiera se molestó en responder a las consultas taiwanesas en diciembre sobre si el coronavirus podría, en contra de lo que afirma Beijing, transmitirse entre humanos.
El mes pasado, un periodista de televisión de Hong Kong le preguntó a Bruce Aylward, que dirige la Misión Conjunta OMS-China sobre Coronavirus, si la organización reconsideraría su negativa a permitir que Taiwán se una. El Dr. Aylward, en una conexión de video remota, permanece en silencio y sin expresión durante casi 10 segundos antes de que el periodista le pregunte nuevamente: "¿Hola?"
"Lo siento", dice finalmente, "no pude escuchar, no puedo escuchar tu pregunta, Yvonne".
"Déjame repetir la pregunta", dice ella.
"No, esta bien. Pasemos a otro entonces ".
Cuando ella lo presiona sobre Taiwán, él termina la conexión. El reportero vuelve a llamar e intenta una táctica diferente: "Solo quiero ver si puedes comentar un poco sobre cómo Taiwán ha hecho hasta ahora en términos de contener el virus".
Su respuesta: "Bueno, ya hemos hablado de China y, ya sabes, cuando miras a través de todas las diferentes áreas de China, en realidad todas han hecho un buen trabajo".
El intercambio demuestra cómo la OMS prioriza la política sobre la salud pública. Ha internalizado la visión de Beijing de Taiwán y busca elogiar a los líderes de China en todo momento. Y en ningún momento durante la crisis la OMS ha investigado sustancialmente las afirmaciones del régimen chino sobre el virus o ha sido transparente sobre el pensamiento detrás de sus decisiones.
Como el mayor contribuyente financiero de la OMS, EE. UU. Tiene la influencia para impulsar una reforma radical. El Congreso debería condicionar todos los fondos futuros para que la OMS explique en detalle cómo llega a sus decisiones de salud pública e investigue de manera rigurosa e independiente el alcance de los brotes de enfermedades.
Estados Unidos debería trabajar agresivamente para cambiar la cultura y el liderazgo de la OMS. La administración Trump dio un buen primer paso en enero al crear un enviado especial en el Departamento de Estado centrado en contrarrestar los intentos de China de controlar las organizaciones internacionales. El próximo director general de la OMS no debe ser un sello de goma para Beijing.
Si los esfuerzos para transformar a la OMS no son efectivos, los Estados Unidos pueden no tener más remedio que retirarse y comenzar de nuevo. Eso podría significar crear una organización alternativa abierta a cualquier país dispuesto a cumplir con estándares más altos de transparencia, buen gobierno y el intercambio de mejores prácticas. El mundo necesita una organización en la que se pueda confiar para abordar los problemas de salud pública que trascienden las fronteras, si no la OMS, entonces hay algo más.
El Sr. Chen es miembro de la Institución Hoover y director de estudios de políticas nacionales en el programa de políticas públicas de la Universidad de Stanford.
