World Health Assembly approves raising Palestinian flag at WHO headquarters, offices
Assembly backs symbolic move with 95 votes in favor
GENEVA
Delegates at the World Health Assembly (WHA) voted Monday in favor of a decision allowing the flags of non-member observer states at the UN to be raised at the headquarters and offices of the World Health Organization (WHO), paving the way for the Palestinian flag to be flown alongside those of WHO member states.
The motion, which was approved by a vote of 95 in favor, four against --- Israel, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Germany -- and 27 abstentions, specifies that "the flags of non-Member Observer States at the United Nations shall be raised at the World Health Organization headquarters and WHO offices following the flags of the Member States of the World Health Organization in alphabetical order, without prejudice to their participation as an Observer State, and does not constitute Member State status in the World Health Organization."
The discussion focused specifically on having the Palestinian flag raised at WHO as a non-member observer state and cited UN resolution 70/15 as a basis for the flag to be raised there.
The draft resolution was proposed by Algeria, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tunisia and Türkiye.
