World Health Assembly votes to condemn Russia’s war on Ukraine

The World Health Organization on Thursday passed a resolution condemning Russia’s war as a serious health obstacle not only for the invaded country but for the wider international community.

At the 75th World Health Assembly of the United Nations health agency in Geneva, Switzerland, WHO representatives voted in favor of the resolution with a vote of 88 to 12, with 53 abstaining.

After condemning Moscow’s military aggression against Kyiv, the resolution, which is sponsored by some 50 countries, called for Russia to end all attacks on hospitals and other healthcare facilities, as well as on medical and humanitarian personnel.

The assembly, which is the decision-making body of the WHO, also rejected a counter-proposal by Russia and Syria regarding the situation in Ukraine, without mentioning the Kremlin’s military invasion.

The United States’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Sheba Kroker, called the Russian proposal a “cynical ploy” to make the Kremlin appear as “champions of health & humanitarian relief.”

After the vote, she tweeted, “Today’s … vote showed the world will not be fooled by lies & obfuscation. Principles and truth matter.”

Crocker told delegates during the debate that war increases the risk of a virus outbreak by preventing people from accessing water and sanitation, while allowing people to live in cramped conditions and obstructing vaccination campaigns.

The effects are felt outside of Ukraine, she said, where the Russian war this year could push some 40 million people into food insecurity and poverty.

“This isn’t about politicization. This is about the health of millions and the need to hold Russia clearly accountable,” she said, urging member states to vote “yes” on the Ukraine resolution. “Conversely, if you vote in support of Russia’s resolution, you are standing with a country trying, quite literally, to destroy what this body stands for.”

On the eve of the vote, Russia attempted to formulate Ukraine’s resolution as “excessively politicized” and its resolution as “composed in neutral language.”

Britain’s Permanent Representative in Geneva, Simon Manley, attacked Moscow over her proposal, calling it “a cynical attempt to distract, disrupt and confuse” the World Health Assembly.

“What a joke. This is based on some twisted alternative reality in which [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s forces haven’t been bombing 100s of Ukrainian health facilities & killing 1,000s of [Ukrainian] civilians,” he tweeted.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February, the WHO has confirmed a total of 226 attacks on healthcare facilities in the country. According to UN figures, about 4,000 Ukrainian civilians were also killed in the war, and another 6.6 million were forced to flee the country.