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WHO panel to review international health regulations in pandemic - Tedros

FILE PHOTO: World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a news conference in Geneva

GENEVA (Reuters) - The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that his agency was setting up a review committee to evaluate the performance of its International Health Regulations (IHR) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement to Geneva diplomats hours ahead of a press conference. "The Committee will make technical recommendations on the functioning of the IHR as well as regarding possible amendments," he said, according to his remarks.

He said the review committee's first meeting would be on Sept. 8-9.

Gro Harlem Brundtland, one of Tedros' predecessors at the helm of the U.N. agency, told reporters in June that the WHO should change the IHR guidelines that led it to oppose travel restrictions early in the outbreak - a step criticised later by the United States.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; editing by)