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Switzerland elected to WHO Executive Board

WHO building
Keystone / Fabrice Coffrini

Switzerland will sit on the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) for three years. 

The Executive Board comprises 34 of the WHO’s 194 member countries and prepares the agenda for the World Health Assembly that is held annually in Geneva. It brings together countries from all WHO’s six regions.

“This is an extremely important moment,”, said the Swiss President Alain Berset, a few days ago in anticipation of the election. In this mandate, Switzerland wants to commit itself to health protection, governance and sustainable healthcare systems.

Apart from Switzerland, North Korea and Ukraine are among the 10 new members of the Executive Board. The election was not without its twists and turns. As the countries had to be nominated as a block, a vote had to be taken for the first time since 1977, at the request of Russia, which was opposed to its Ukraine joining the Board. The list received 123 votes, with 13 abstentions.

After the vote, Russia regretted the election of “a country that will politicise the Executive Board”. Ukraine, for its part, hailed a “stunning defeat” for Moscow and denounced a “smear campaign”.

Next Wednesday, the Executive Board will meet for two days in Geneva. Its main task will be to elect its officers, including the Chairman. The main focus of the discussion will be on an approach to make the organisation more effective.
 

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