By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) -The World Health Organization, at the heart of the world s slow and stuttering handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, faces a potential shake-up aimed at preventing future outbreaks from destroying lives and livelihoods. Health ministers agreed on Monday to study recommendations for ambitious reforms made by independent experts to strengthen the capacity of both the U.N. agency and countries to contain new pathogens. Under the resolution submitted by the European Union, and adopted by consensus, member states are to be firmly in the driver s seat of the reforms through a year-long process. The new virus has infected more than 170 million people and killed nearly 3.7 million, according to a Reuters tally of official national figures. Health ministers from WHO s 194 member states will also meet from Nov. 29 to decide whether to launch negotiations on an international treaty aimed at boosting defences against any future pandemic. WHO s emergencies direct
Switzerlandâs economic outlook brightens as pandemic easesÂ
Switzerland s economy is expected to recover swiftly with the end of the pandemic in sight. Keystone / Anthony Anex
Swiss gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow by 3.2% in 2021, upgraded from 2.2% in the previous forecast, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The organisation predicts GDP growth of 2.2% in 2022 for the Alpine nation.Â
This content was published on May 31, 2021 - 15:24
May 31, 2021 - 15:24
Keystone-SDA/AP/Â ds
The organisation of industrialised countries attributes the higher forecast for Switzerland to the easing of measures put in place to curb the pandemic as the public health crisis subsides.Â