KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 22 — A total of 15 executive orders signed by new US President Joe Biden, including on rejoining the World Health Organization (WHO), are welcomed as the world faces the challenge of tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, said a geostrategist from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).
Prof Dr Azmi Hassan said with the re-establishment of cooperation between WHO and the world superpower, a globally accepted policy is expected to be formulated in an effort to address the pandemic epidemic.
“One of Biden’s executive orders is to rejoin the WHO, and this is important not only because the United States (US) is the largest contributor to the WHO, but the world health body (WHO) also needs the cooperation and expertise of the US,” he said in an interview via Skype on Bernama TV, yesterday (Jan 21).
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It is widely reported that Biden, 78, who was sworn in as the 46th US President last Wednesday (in the United States), began his administration by signing a total of 15 executive orders – among them to re-join the WHO, ending a ban on the entry of people from several Muslim-majority countries, increasing environmental protection, and withdraw the emergency orders for the construction of walls along the US-Mexico border.
Also sworn in was Kamala Harris as Vice President.
Commenting further, Azmi opined that every policy made by Biden, including the 15 executive orders, are made based facts and scientific information, as well as on a humanitarian basis.
On his hopes for US-North Korea relations under the Biden administration, Azmi hoped the US president would listen to expert and diplomatic advice on the current situation on the Korean Peninsula and on US-China relations to ensure stability in Southeast Asia.
