The ten countries that join the WHO Executive Board for a three-year term are usually elected in a series of meetings.. However, due to Russia’s efforts to block Ukraine’s access to the 34-member forum, which plays a key role in the governance of the World Health Organization, The referendum was held for the first time since 1977.
The result of the referendum was in favor of Ukraine. Candidates nominated by each of the six WHO regions were elected by a margin of 123 votes to 13 abstentions.
“Today’s vote represents a colossal defeat for Russia, which has failed in reckless attempts to undermine the authority of WHO regional committees and disrupt the work of the World Health Assembly and the WHO Executive Board.”
– said Yevheniya Filipenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to the UN in Geneva.
– Health cannot be politicized. WHO should function normally. France congratulates Ukraine for being elected to the Executive Council along with nine other countries, despite Russia’s attempts to prevent it, the French delegation wrote on Twitter.
The candidate from the Southeast Asian region is North Korea, which entered the Executive Council thanks to the referendum. This angered the United States, whose representative tried to make everyone aware of the regime’s human rights abuses in Pyongyang.
In addition to Ukraine and North Korea, Australia, Barbados, Cameroon, Comoros, Lesotho, Qatar, Switzerland and Togo join the WHO Executive Committee.
Source: niezalezna.pl, PAP
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