Geneva: The World Health Assembly on Monday voted in favor of a resolution to raise the Palestinian flag at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters, with 97 member states supporting the move and four, including Germany, opposing it.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the resolution was introduced by a coalition of countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, South Africa, Egypt, and Nicaragua. It was adopted during the 78th session of the Assembly, currently underway in Geneva, as part of the implementation of a previous resolution from the Assembly's 77th session in June 2024.
That earlier resolution aimed to align Palestine's participation in the WHO with its participation in the broader United Nations system. Since being granted the status of a "non-Member Observer State" in the United Nations General Assembly in 2012, Palestine has participated as an observer in various UN agencies and organizations, including the WHO.
The newly adopted resolution, titled "Raising the flags of non-Member Observer States at the World Health Organization," asserts the right of non-Member Observer States, such as Palestine, to have their flags raised at WHO headquarters and offices.
The WHO Director-General was also tasked with taking all necessary measures to implement the resolution before the closing of the 78th session of the World Health Assembly.