AFP/France 24: WHO urged to invite Taiwan to key meeting
“The World Health Organization is facing renewed pleas to allow Taiwan to participate in a key international meeting amid fears its exclusion could jeopardize efforts to rein in the coronavirus pandemic. As many parts of the world are reeling from surging numbers of Covid-19 infections and deaths, the WHO is due Monday to resume its main annual meeting, which was cut short in May. But while the World Health Assembly (WHA) is expected to focus heavily on international coordination of the pandemic response, one international actor will not be present…” (11/6).

AP: U.N. summit in December to push action on COVID-19 pandemic
“The United Nations voted Thursday to hold a summit on the COVID-19 pandemic on Dec. 3-4 to press for action on the global spread of the coronavirus and its ‘unprecedented’ effects on societies, economies, jobs, global trade, and travel. The General Assembly voted 150-0, with the United States, Israel, and Armenia abstaining, on a resolution authorizing the meeting and spelling out arrangements. It will include prerecorded speeches by world leaders and a discussion led by World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus…” (Lederer, 11/5).

U.N. News: Ahead of global health assembly, WHO stresses need for solidarity, preparation
“The COVID-19 pandemic can be defeated through science, solutions, and solidarity, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday, underlining one of its core messages throughout the crisis. The reminder comes ahead of next week’s World Health Assembly, the annual meeting of the U.N. agency’s decision-making body, which normally takes place in May but had to be cut short this year due to the pandemic. … A second message WHO is highlighting now is the importance of not backsliding on critical health goals, including achieving the ‘triple billion’ targets by 2023…” (11/5).