League of Patient Defenders
http://ligap.ru 8-800-100-2-765
11.09.2021 liga@ligap.ru
To Minister of Foreign Affairs
Of the Russian Federation
Lavrov S.V.
Dear Sergey Victorovich!
On March 11, 2020 Director General of the WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared that spread of COVID-19 may be characterized as a pandemic.1
Due to that, please clarify:
Should be the statement considered as official? If yes – on the basis of which the statement was done? Are there any decisions of WHO competent authorities? Is Director General authorized to declare a pandemic?
I would grateful for your responses.
| President of the “League of Patients”, expert of the Russian Academy of Sciences, member of the Expert Board at the Government of the Russian Federation | [Signature] LEAGUE OF PATIENT DEFENDERS | A.V. Saversky |
___________
1https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020
| MNISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION (MAF OF RUSSIA) Smolenskaya-Sennaya Avenue, 32/34, G-200, Moscow, 119200 Tel. (499) 244-16-06, fax (499) 244-91-57 http://www.mid.ru 28.09.2021 № 11374/дмо To № ________dated | PRESIDENT OF ALL-RUSSIAN PIBLIC ORGANIZATION “LEAGUE OF PATIENT DEFENDERS” A.V. SAVERSKY |
Dear Alexander Vladmirovich,
due to your Application to Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation S.V. Lavrov dated September 11, we inform you as follows.
The legal bases of the multi-party collaboration in the preparedness and response to outbreaks of hazardous infectious diseases is formed by the International Health Regulations (IHR) which were adopted in the current revision during the 58th session of the World Health Assembly (WHA0 in May 2005 and came into effect in June 2007.
In accordance with IHR, if any or another event, in particular, an outbreak of an infectious disease represents a global-scale danger, the WHO Director General based on the recommendation of the corresponding Committee of WHO experts declares a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The introduction of PHEI regime means the highest threat level. The procedure for adoption of a decision whether to declare PHEIC is clearly laid down in the International Health Regulations.
The PHEIC due to the outbreak and global spread of a new coronavirus infection was declared on January 30, 2020.
Term “pandemic” is not used in IHR. Moreover, there is no definition of the concept which is harmonized at the level of WHO governing bodies. At the same time, term “pandemic” in relation to a new coronavirus infection is used, for example, in WHA resolution WHA73.1 “Struggle with COVID-19” dated May 18, 2020 adopted unanimously by all countries – members of the WHO.
Unlike the declaration of PHEIC regime, introduction of term “pandemic” from a legal point of view is not regulated and does not imply adoption of additional special response measures. The statement made by the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom on March 11, 2020 that spread of COVID-19 acquired a nature of a pandemic was aimed at drawing the attention of the political leadership of countries-members to the problem (in his speech, Tedros Adhanom emphasized serious concern about the rapid spread of the infection and the alarming level of inaction).
Best regards,
| DEPUTY HEAD OF THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT | [SIGNATURE] | S. KONONUCHENKO |
Federal State Budgetary Institution N.F. Gamaleya Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Ministry of Health of Russia