On May 18-19, 2020, the 73^rd virtual World Health Assembly (WHA) is taking place in Geneva. Delegations from 194 WHO Member States, represented mainly at the ministerial level, as well as from specialized agencies, programs and funds of the UN system and non-governmental organizations are taking part in the Assembly. Ukraine is represented at the event by the delegation led by M.Stepanov, Minister of Health.

The issues of combating the spread of COVID-19 worldwide and ensuring effective and continuous work of the WHO are in the focus of the WHA.

UN Secretary-General A.Guterres has addressed the WHA participants and has expressed his conviction that the COVID-19 pandemic requires a new level of unity and solidarity from the world community, and has noted that the WHO is irreplaceable and needs enhanced resources, in particular, to provide support to developing countries.

WHO Director-General T.Ghebreyesus, on his part, has highlighted that the first-ever pandemic caused by a coronavirus had caused not only significant human losses but also disruption of the global health system. At the same time, he has noted that the risk of continued spread of COVID-19 remains high, and that the majority of the world’s population continues to be susceptible to this virus. The head of the Organization supported the initiative proposed by the Member States to initiate an independent evaluation of the WHO-coordinated global health response to COVID-19. T.Ghebreyesus has also mentioned that the world doesn’t need other new structures, on the contrary, it needs to strengthen existing ones, including WHO.

In the statement by the head of the Ukrainian delegation attention has been drawn to the challenges our country faces during the pandemic; gratitude has been expressed to the WHO for its assistance in overcoming COVID-19. It has been emphasized on Ukraine’s readiness to contribute to global efforts to accelerate the development of diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics to combat coronavirus. Besides, emphasis has been placed on Russia’s neglect to protect the lives and health of the population on the Ukrainian temporarily occupied territories in the context of COVID-19 spread. Russia has been called to provide full and comprehensive access for the representatives of the ICRC and other international humanitarian agencies to the temporary occupied territories of our state to deliver timely qualified medical treatment to population, as well as humanitarian assistance. Separately, it has been also informed about the medical reform implementation in our country.