ROME: The World Health Organization (WHO) must safeguard its independence to retain credibility, claims an official who accuses the UN agency of censoring a report into Italy’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Francesco Zambon, a WHO coordinator based in Venice, is currently embroiled in an internal dispute over his allegations that the agency pulled the study at the request of a top Italian official who risked being embarrassed by its contents.
The WHO and the official deny any wrongdoing, but Zambon says what he sees as the failure to properly address his concerns has wider consequences for the agency.
“Now that we are about to go on mission to China, we must be sure that the WHO is free of any external influence, otherwise its independence is at risk,” he said in a telephone interview.
WHO experts probing the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic were this week denied entry to China, which has appeared reluctant to allow an independent investigation.
The UN agency previously faced strong criticism, led by the US, for seemingly being too soft on China and its lack of transparency on the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
“I believe that the world needs a WHO free of conflicts of interests, not just concerning the partners it works with ... but starting with its own staff,” Zambon said.
The Italian, 47, has worked at the WHO since 2008, first in Moscow and most recently as coordinator at the body’s European Office for Investment for Health and Development in Venice.
He coordinated work on a 102-page document analyzing Italy’s coronavirus response, after it became the first country outside China to face a major wave of infections.
The document was withdrawn a day after its release on May 13 — a decision that Zambon claims was to avoid embarrassing Ranieri Guerra, a senior WHO official who was previously a key player in Italy’s pandemic planning.
Guerra, director general for preventive health at the Italian health ministry during 2014-17 and now a WHO assistant director general, denies any wrongdoing.
WHO Europe meanwhile said last month that the Italy report was pulled because it contained “factual inaccuracies.”
“There were no political considerations, I can reassure you,” the WHO’s regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said this week.
Zambon said there was an error in the report, but it was quickly fixed — and argued that publication would have helped other countries dealing with coronavirus.
“The entire world was looking at Italy,” he said.
Nevertheless, the document was released when most of Europe was already deep into the pandemic, and contained mostly familiar advice and recommendations.
The WHO said the report was never republished because by then the agency had found new ways for countries to share experiences of the pandemic.
Last month it made the document available to journalists to counter accusations of a cover-up.
The report said Italy’s pandemic preparedness plan had not been updated since 2006, and the initial reaction of its hospitals was “improvised, chaotic and creative.”
The controversy has caught the attention of prosecutors in Bergamo, the northern city that was the epicenter of Italy’s initial coronavirus outbreak.
Both Guerra and Zambon have been questioned as part of an investigation into what went wrong in the early stages of a pandemic that has so far killed more than 77,000 people in Italy.
“I have great confidence in Italian justice,” said Zambon.
He believes his revelations have now caused him to be sidelined at the WHO, but claims his complaints have gone nowhere.
“I can no longer work in Europe because I’ve been isolated — the typical fate of the whistleblower,” he said.
WHO Europe has refused to comment on any issues surrounding individual staff members.
Zambon added: “The risks for me are quite irrelevant, what I don’t want is all this to be swept under the carpet.
“It is a question of conflicts of interest and internal compliance mechanisms.”
WHO ‘must protect its independence’: UN official
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WHO ‘must protect its independence’: UN official
Ratcliffe says he is sorry his UK ‘colonized by immigrants’ remark offended some
- His comments were condemned by politicians, campaigners and by fan groups at Manchester United
- Muslim Supporters Club said the term “colonized” was frequently used by far-right activists to frame migrants as invaders
LONDON: British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe said on Thursday he was sorry he had offended some people by saying the country had been “colonized by immigrants,” after Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined a chorus of criticism over the remarks.
Ratcliffe, one of Britain’s most successful businessmen, responded to the outcry with a statement saying it was important to raise the issue of immigration, but that he regretted his “choice of language” had caused concern.
The founder of chemicals giant INEOS, and owner of nearly a third of Manchester United, had told Sky News that high migration and people living on benefits were damaging the economy.
Finance minister: Comments were “disgusting”
“You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in. I mean, the UK has been colonized — it’s costing too much money,” Ratcliffe said in the interview aired on Wednesday.
“The UK has been colonized by immigrants, really, hasn’t it?” he added.
Starmer said the remarks were wrong and would play into the hands of those who wanted to divide the country. Finance minister Rachel Reeves said the comments were “unacceptable” and “disgusting.”
On Thursday, INEOS issued a statement from Ratcliffe in response to “reporting of his comments.”
“I am sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe and caused concern but it is important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth,” he said.
He said he wanted to stress that governments must manage migration alongside investment in skills, industry and jobs to ensure long-term prosperity is shared by everyone, and that it was “critical that we maintain an open debate on the challenges facing the UK.”
Starmer’s spokesperson said it was right for him to apologize. Asked if an apology about offense caused rather than the comments themselves were enough, the spokesperson said questions on the detail of the apology were for Ratcliffe.
Manchester United fans flag up use of “colonized”
His comments were condemned by politicians, campaigners and by fan groups at Manchester United, including its Muslim Supporters Club who said the term “colonized” was frequently used by far-right activists to frame migrants as invaders.
“Public discourse shapes public behavior,” the group said. “When influential figures adopt language that mirrors extremist talking points, it risks legitimising prejudice and deepening division.”
Others noted that the Manchester United first team was largely made up of international players and staff, and questioned whether Ratcliffe should be commenting on British politics when he had moved to the tax haven Monaco.
Before Ratcliffe’s response, The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said Ratcliffe’s comments were inflammatory and should be withdrawn.
Immigration debate has intensified
Immigration has consistently been among the top voter concerns in Britain according to opinion polls, and has helped fuel the rise of Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist party Reform UK.
Rhetoric around immigration has hardened in recent years and a wave of protests broke out last summer outside hotels housing asylum seekers. Widespread rioting also occurred in 2024, sparked by false information circulating online that a teenager who killed three young girls was an Islamist migrant.
Sky said Ratcliffe had cited incorrect figures to back up his argument. He said the population had risen from 58 million to 70 million people since 2020. The Office for National Statistics estimates the UK population was 67 million in mid-2020 and 69 million in mid-2024.
The population was around 59 million in 2000. Ratcliffe and his office did not immediately respond to Reuters questions about the figures he used.
Farage responded to the comments by saying that Britain had undergone mass immigration that had changed the character of many areas in the country. “Labour may try to ignore that but Reform won’t,” he said.
