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As the new crown epidemic spreads globally, France recently published a series of articles on how to investigate and analyze how some authoritative international organizations are affected by China. In the article published on April 28, it was featured here In the outbreak, Beijing was supported by key positions at the WHO and the structural weaknesses of this 72-year-old UN agency to expand its influence.
This article written by reporter Marie Bourreau notes that WHO is currently experiencing difficulties. The New Crown Pandemic is not the first global pandemic experienced by this agency responsible for coordinating and guiding the global health of the United Nations system, but it is the worst in its history: contrary to its principles of depoliticization, diligence for partners Chinese and the future. The need for reform is so obvious that several major powers such as the United States, France and Britain have been awakened and have begun to condemn WHO’s “failure” in managing the pandemic. Of course, part of this is covering your own response to the epidemic. Policy flaws.
Is WHO really suffocated? At a time when the organization of 194 member states is dysfunctional, its member states are in no rush to help, and it took over a month to complete the $ 675 million raised for the Coronavirus Emergency Fund. On April 14, the United States announced a moratorium on its $ 553 million payment, in contrast, China pledged $ 50 million to fight Covid-19.
Organizations without the right to punish
Antoine Flahault, a professor and doctor of public health at the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, condemned the United States’ punishment of the WHO as “hypocritical” because the WHO is only an intergovernmental organization. There is no right to sanction or coercion. Furthermore, due to the need to maintain control of the World Health Organization, member countries have chosen to support the voluntary contribution mechanism (which represents almost 80% of the budget) specifically for the programs designated during the last decade, instead of mandatory contributions linked to each country’s GDP.
The report noted that during the period when Chinese Chen Fengfuzhen served as CEO (2006-2017), countries refused to increase the proportion of mandatory donations, although this can lead to substantial reductions in projects, especially in the area of emergency health. Private funds and philanthropic foundations like Bill and Melinda Gates, the second-largest donor after the United States, filled the gap and were once again deprived of their commercial autonomy.
After the SARS epidemic in 2006, countries agreed to abandon certain sovereignty by amending the International Health Regulations, which established a list of diseases that all countries must report. In theory, if an epidemic occurs, WHO should become the leader in global response. However, the structure of the WHO is similar to the Federation in that it has six regional budget-controlled offices, the leaders of these offices are appointed by local member states, and Geneva headquarters has little intervention. According to the WHO website, they are regional offices for Africa, the Americas, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Pacific.
Managing Director Dr. Tan Desai
Despite these structural flaws in the WHO, ever since the first African-American, and not a Tandsey-born physician, was elected Director-General on July 1, 2017, criticism of the organization has focused on him. His critics emphasized that he was a member of the Communist Party of Ethiopia, a country that chose a Chinese-style development path in the 1970s.
His various performances make people question his ideological proximity to Beijing and become a puppet of the Communist Party, but his supporters do not believe it, as they believe that he was elected by the most democratic vote since the establishment of the World Organization of the Health in 1948. As a result, this accusation becomes even more unfair. After Chen Fengfuzhen’s term expired, 194 member states were able to choose from three candidates on closed-door and secret ballots for the first time, and Dr. Tan Desai elected had promised to “serve for countries” after taking office. But one expert said ironically: “It is better to eliminate the plural and say that it is more appropriate to serve a country.”
An influential person
The report noted that since Tan Desai took office, the Beijing offensive has been strengthened through the New Belt and Road Silk Road initiative. This project is a means for China to demonstrate its soft power and naturally also involves the health field. . It is true that China is only the eighth largest donor country to the World Health Organization, and represents only around 30 of the nearly 7,000 employees. But Beijing managed to locate an influential person around Tan Desai, Ren Minghui, who is the deputy director-general responsible for HIV / AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases. This person previously served as Director of the Department of International Cooperation of the China National Commission for Health and Family Planning.
Nadège Rolland, an Asia-Pacific policy and security researcher at France’s National Institute for Asian Studies (NBR), noted that in recent years, China has successfully eroded many health industries, using WHO as a platform, with multiple entities. , Including laboratories, hospitals, research centers, projects and international foundations, etc. signed bilateral agreements …
The article concludes by stating that China no longer intends to simply be a participant in “healthy diplomacy”, it is now preparing to receive dividends.
