WHO sets up panel to review handling of pandemic

[July 09, 2020]  GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Thursday that it was setting up an independent panel to review its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the response by governments.

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf have agreed to head the panel and chose its members, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual meeting with representatives of WHO's 194 member states, which was webcast.

"This is a time for self-reflection," Tedros said, noting that WHO's member states in May called unanimously for an evaluation of the global response to the pandemic.

(Reporting by Michael Shields, Stephanie Nebehay, John Miller, Brenna Hughes-Neghaiwi)

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