WHO head slams world’s focus on Ukraine, says it shows the lack of ‘equal attention to Black and White lives’

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has said the overwhelming help being given to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion is a manifestation of the bias against Black lives, BBC reported.

Tedros, who is from Ethiopia’s Tigray region, said other countries facing humanitarian crises are receiving just a fragment of the help Ukraine is currently getting. And though he clarified that helping Ukraine is “very important” as it “impacts the whole world”, he highlighted that Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, or Tigray are not getting similar attention.

“I don’t know if the world really gives equal attention to black and white lives,” Tedros said at a news conference. “I need to be blunt and honest that the world is not treating the human race the same way. Some are more equal than others. And when I say this, it pains me. Because I see it. Very difficult to accept but it’s happening.”

Tedros also revealed the United Nations had established that Ethiopia’s Tigray region needed 100 trucks of life-saving humanitarian supplies on a daily basis. The civil war between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF began in November 2020 after tensions between both sides escalated. The war has since created a serious humanitarian crisis in Tigray. Thousands of people have also been killed as a result.

The UN also says the war in Yemen has resulted in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, BBC reported. The organization adds that 24 million people in Afghanistan are in need of humanitarian aid. In Syria, around 500,000 people have lost their lives as a result of the 11-year civil war. Millions of Syrians have also been displaced.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its 50th day on Thursday.