The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that his agency was setting up a review committee to evaluate the performance of its International Health Regulations (IHR) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement to Geneva diplomats hours ahead of a press conference. “The Committee will make technical recommendations on the functioning of the IHR as well as regarding possible amendments,” he said, according to his remarks.
He said the review committee’s first meeting would be on Sept. 8-9.
One of Tedros’ predecessors at the helm of the U.N. agency, Gro Harlem Brundtland, told reporters in June that the WHO should change the IHR guidelines that led it to oppose travel restrictions early in the outbreak – a step criticized later by the United States.
