Subject: Fw: New Modalities for WHO meetings including COVID-19 Member State information sessions
From: Ekaterine Khositashvili <[email-masked]>
To: Maia Nikoleishvili <[email-masked]>
Cc: Tamar Gabunia <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2020 08:55:37 +0000

​FYI

From: MSCOVID19 <[email-masked]>

Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2020 6:28 PM

Cc: ELLISON, Jane Elizabeth; ARMSTRONG, Timothy Peter; SCHWARTLANDER, Bernhard F.; JAKAB, Zsuzsanna; THOMAS, Raul; STERN, Gabriella; MINHAS, Raman; MILAD, Laila Christine; BYCROFT, Kerstin; SHIDEED, Olla; VEA, Gina Rene; SOLOMON, Steven Alan; GRANZIERA,
Egle; OSEI, Jude; LONNQUIST, Fabia; CABRAS, Fiona; DURAND STIMPSON, Patricia; GRAF, Diana Nkirote

Subject: WHO: New Modalities for WHO meetings including COVID-19 Member State information sessions

Dear WHO Mission Focal points,

With reference to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, we wish to thank each of the missions in Geneva for their active participation and ongoing engagement with the WHO Secretariat.  We have seen an unprecedented level of interest
and global solidarity in regard to COVID-19.

This email contains important information on new modalities for WHO meetings in line with WHO’s most recent business continuity planning.  Kindly note that further important details can be found at the end of this message.

In an effort to help ensure you remain updated and know where to access the latest data, we have compiled a brief summary of the main WHO sources of information below:

WHO website: for the latest technical guidance, travel advice, FAQs, and other pertinent information, please see our dedicated website -
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019.

Daily situation reports: published every evening Central European Time (CET) -

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports/.

Weekly information sessions (now virtual): scheduled to take place Thursday mornings 10:30—12:00, includes interpretation and broadcasting via WebEx (further information regarding the modalities of these meetings can be
found below).  As this will be a virtual meeting, we would welcome your questions and statements in advance / during the meeting to
[email-masked].

Regular press conferences: scheduled to take place three times per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) around 16:30 CET and broadcast live via WHO social media channels. Kindly note the Director-General’s remarks are published
to the WHO website. Further, should you wish to receive notifications on press conferences and other media products, you may subscribe to the WHO media distribution list
here – noting this distribution includes all notifications, not solely those pertaining to COVID-19.

Social media: please refer to the WHO Twitter (@WHO) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/WHO/) pages for real-time updates and information

Additional important information:

Modalities for WHO meetings

WHO will minimize physical meetings. GBS will be in contact with Member States that have planned informal consultations on proposed draft resolutions and decisions, as well as other meetings, to discuss options for continuing work.  The
schedule of intergovernmental meetings will be updated accordingly.

The Secretariat remains committed to providing Member States with accurate and timely information. In order to facilitate this and to streamline communications, we have established a mailbox for all of your COVID-19 related questions ([email-masked])
which will be monitored 7 days a week.  Whilst we hope this is helpful for you, it is also intended to take some of the pressure off our technical teams.

For non-technical queries, you can contact Dr Timothy Armstrong, Director, Governing Bodies via email ([email-masked]) or mobile +41 79 445 20 26.  IHR reporting and other formal processes are
unaffected by this communication.

Thank you and best regards,

WHO Secretariat