The State Duma announced Russia’s withdrawal from the WHO

The State Duma announced Russia’s intention to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO). According to Deputy Speaker Pyotr Tolstoy, the decision on this matter is “consensual” after the severance of relations with the Council of Europe, writes Vedomosti.

“WHO supported sanctions against our country, closed office [по профилактике неинфекционных заболеваний в Москве]which worked. They are trying to impose ideas and principles on Russia that do not correspond to our values. The combination of these factors suggests that we have nothing to do in this organization, recalled the MP. He said Russia’s membership of the WHO “is no longer relevant.”

At the same time, the Ministry of Health does not support the idea of ​​leaving the WHO. “[17 июля в Госдуме] The Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko spoke on this matter. He thinks work is very important [ВОЗ] for the prevention of various epidemics and pandemics,” said Tolstoy himself.

A Vedomosti source in the leadership of the State Duma said that leaving the WHO was Tolstoy’s personal initiative. The MP has been promoting this idea for a long time, but collectively The matter was not discussed in parliament. Another interlocutor of the newspaper said that the executive is opposed to Tolstoy’s initiative, so “the controversy will continue.”

“We can always tear down bridges. WHO membership is a global process, although it is obviously influenced by the US as the main source of funding and other unfriendly countries, ”said Alexei Kurinny, State Duma deputy.

In May, the organization announced the closure of the Moscow Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD). He specialized in health policy development, surveillance, prevention and integrated management of non-communicable diseases. The office will be moved to Copenhagen by the end of the year.

Subsequently, the WHO adopted a resolution condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine, including attacks on medical facilities. 80 Member States voted for it, nine against. Another 52 countries abstained from the vote, 36 did not participate in the work of the assembly.

Another conflict between Russia and WHO arose over the organization’s policy on gender equality. In particular, the WHO has excluded transgenderism from the latest ICD-11 disease classifier.

“In the vast majority of WHO member countries, the existence of only two sexes, men and women, is guaranteed at the legislative level,” outraged Deputy Health Minister Sergei Glagolev.

Tolstoy also complained at the time that the WHO was imposing international classifications of diseases on Russia. He called for a departure from norms relating to transgender and LGBT topics. “We have cut off an alien ideological component,” said the MP.