European member states of the World Health Organization on Monday voted down a Russian attempt to keep the agency’s noncommunicable diseases office in Moscow, which will now be relocated to Copenhagen, Denmark, where WHO’s European regional office is located.
The decision took place during a special session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, held at the request of 30 of its member states, including Ukraine, that had put forward the draft decision to close the office in Moscow. About a year ago, the majority of these member states adopted a resolution condemning Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine and asked WHO to explore the possibility of relocating the NCD office outside of Russia.
In a letter last month addressed to Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, the 30 member states wrote that the “immediate and long-term health impacts in Ukraine and beyond, caused by Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified, and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, continue to be a matter of utmost concern.”
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
