48 Countries Addressed to the DG of WHO to Oppose Politicization of the Origin-Tracing of the SARS-CoV-2
2021-07-15 23:43

On July 15th, permanent representatives of 48 countries to the UNOG based in Geneva addressed to Dr. Tedros, the Director General of WHO, voiced their support to advance the study of origins of SARS-CoV-2 globally, and opposed politicization of the origin-tracing.

These countries highlighted that COVID-19 is a common enemy of mankind, and it can only be defeated by solidarity and cooperation of the international community. The cooperation on study of origins of the SARS-CoV-2 is an important aspect of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. As provided in the resolution WHA 73.1 entitled COVID-19 response, the purpose of the origin-tracing is to identify the zoonotic source of the virus and the route of introduction to the human population, including the possible role of intermediate hosts. The study of origins is a matter of science, and should be conducted around the world by scientists. Origin-tracing shall not be politicized. Otherwise the global cooperation on the study of origins will be hindered, and the global anti-pandemic efforts jeopardized.

These countries welcomed the publication of the Joint Report of the WHO-convened global study of origins of SARS-CoV-2, appreciated the hard work of the scientists of the joint experts group,stressed that the global study on origin-tracing should be based on and guided by this scientific report. They called on the WHO Secretariat, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the World Health Assembly, to cooperate with member states to advance the study of origins around the world, and to take effective measures to prevent political factors from interfering with the study process.