An editorial in BMJ Global Health: Transparency in IHR emergency committee decision making: the case for reform. The conclusion:
Until there is increased transparency around EC Deliberations, questions about irrelevant considerations, undue influence and political interference will continue to arise. These concerns can be easily addressed given existing information technology capabilities, and interventions such as live streaming IHR EC discussions and verbatim records will provide the entire international community with critical insights into how a public health crisis is unfolding and what the WHO is doing to contain it.
This is a simple change to existing WHO practices that is long overdue, and in so doing, it will alleviate ongoing concerns about how EC members arrive at their decisions and strengthen the legitimacy of the WHO, which is charged with protecting the international community against the spread of disease.
