Hoax circulates online that Indian Prime Minister Modi was appointed 'chairman' of the World Health Organization
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on June 11, 2020 at 05:02
- 1 min read
- By AFP India
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The claim was made in this graphic published on Facebook here on May 18, 2020.
The Hindi text translates to English as: “Prime minister Narendra Modi becomes WHO chairman and he assumes his role in the organization on May 22. Congratulations to everyone.”
(Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post)
Similar claims were also shared on Facebook here and here; and on Twitter here and here.
However, the claim is false.
On May 22, 2020, Indian Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan was elected chair of the WHO’s Executive Board. Both the WHO and the Indian government released a statement here and here on the appointment.
“I feel deeply honored to have the trust and faith of all of you,” Dr Harsh Vardhan said during the online WHO Executive Board session on May 22. “I will work to realize the collective vision of our organization, to build the collective capacity of all our Member nations and to build a heroic collective leadership.”
The WHO Executive Board is composed of 34 member states that serve three-year terms. Vardhan will chair the Executive Board’s 148th session in January 2021 and hand over to the next chair at the May 2021 session, according to the WHO.
The WHO also does not have a "chairman” role in the organisation. The highest position is Director-General, currently held by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
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