世界衛生組織並未公開呼籲中國允許對病毒起源進行獨立調查，儘管世衛緊急委員會（Emergency Committee）也支持這麼做。世衛在這方面的失職，促使世衛成員國在今年的世界衛生大會（WHA）通過「因應2019冠狀病毒疾病」決議，呼應美國與其他各國的要求，亦即對世衛處理這項危機的方式展開公正、獨立且全面的調查。這項決議也要求針對病毒起源展開調查，這也讓全世界能夠掌握對抗這種疾病的最佳方式。
The World Health Organization has failed to publicly call on China to allow for an independent investigation into the origins of the virus, despite the recent endorsement for doing so by its own Emergency Committee. The World Health Organization‘s failure to do so has prompted World Health Organization member states to adopt the 「COVID-19 Response」 Resolution at this year’s World Health Assembly, which echoes the call by the United States and so many others for an impartial, independent, and comprehensive review of how the World Health Organization handled the crisis. The resolution also calls for an investigation into the origins of the virus, which is necessary for the world to understand how best to counter the disease.
比起這些失職更糟糕的是，我們知道世衛原本可以做得更好。在另一位秘書長的帶領下，世衛幾年前曾向全球展現出它能提供多少協助。2003年，中國爆發嚴重急性呼吸道症候群（SARS）疫情，時任秘書長布倫特蘭（Harlem Brundtland）大膽做出世衛55年來的首次緊急旅遊建議，建議暫停往返作為疫情中心的中國南部，甚至毫不猶豫地批評中國政府逮捕吹哨者和審查媒體等掩蓋疫情的作法，因為這將使全球陷入公衛危機。如果您以布倫特蘭為榜樣，許多生命或許就能被挽救。
Perhaps worse than all these failings is that we know that the World Health Organization could have done so much better. Just a few years ago, under the direction of a different Director-General, the World Health Organization showed the world how much it has to offer. In 2003, in response to the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in China, Director-General Harlem Brundtland boldly declared the World Health Organization‘s first emergency travel advisory in 55 years, recommending against travel to and from the disease epicenter in southern China. She also did not hesitate to criticize China for endangering global health by attempting to cover up the outbreak through its usual playbook of arresting whistleblowers and censoring media. Many lives could have been saved had you followed Dr. Brundtland’s example.
