This archive report was first published on 9 July 2020.
On July 9, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched an independent panel to review its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The move comes after the WHO faced fierce criticism from the United States over its handling of the crisis.
The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response will be headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the importance of unity in the face of the pandemic, saying, “Through you, the world will understand the truth of what happened and also the solutions to build our future better as one humanity.”
The panel's investigation will probe the actions of the WHO and its timelines pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO's response to the 2014 Ebola crisis was widely criticized, and the organization is seeking to learn from its mistakes.
The panel will stage one mission briefing per month to give updates, while it will present an interim report to the next World Health Assembly gathering in November.
