Since April 2022, several WHO member countries have been calling for the closure of the Moscow branch of the World Health Organization.
The European office of the World Health Organization announced on Monday that it would close a specialized WHO branch in Moscow and transfer its functions to Denmark.
This decision follows calls from member countries in April 2022 for the closure of this structure in the Russian capital shortly after the February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
“Immediate and long-term impacts”
Monday’s virtual meeting at which the measure was endorsed was convened after a group of 30 states last month called in a letter for an extraordinary session.
They highlighted the “immediate and long-term health impacts in Ukraine and beyond” of the Russian military offensive, which “continue to be an issue of the utmost importance”. The WHO European Region comprises 53 countries, several of which are located in Central Asia.
The majority of member states approved the decision to close this “Office for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases” in Moscow and transfer its functions to the regional office in Denmark “no later than” January 1, 2024. The office of the WHO for Russia is however not concerned.
