Independent WHO

Independent WHO (also styled IndependentWHO, and in full 'Independent WHO – Health and Nuclear') is a grassroots collective of associations and individuals founded in 2006. Its central demand is that the World Health Organization (WHO) fulfil its constitutional duty to protect populations affected by radioactive contamination, and in particular that it revise the 1959 agreement (resolution WHA 12.40) between WHO and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which the collective argues subordinates WHO to the IAEA on matters relating to ionising radiation. The collective is best known for the 'Hippocratic Vigil' held in front of WHO headquarters in Geneva. Beginning on 26 April 2007 — the anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident — members maintained a silent relay vigil every working day between 8am and 6pm, demanding that WHO assume its responsibilities independently of the nuclear establishment and that the truth be told about the short- and long-term health damage suffered by victims of radioactivity. The Geneva vigil ran until 26 April 2017, its tenth anniversary, when it ended; a stele was inaugurated in front of the WHO buildings to mark the occasion. A parallel vigil was also held in Paris. Independent WHO is a movement rather than a commercial enterprise: it is a collective of associations and individuals, supported by a large number of political figures, NGOs and health professionals. Its founding associations include Enfants de Tchernobyl – Bélarus, the Swiss section of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (Physicians for Social Responsibility), the People's Health Movement, CRIIRAD, Réseau Sortir du nucléaire, Brut de Béton Production, ContrAtom and Sortir du nucléaire – Loire et Vilaine. Several dozen other organisations have declared their support. Beyond the vigil, the collective engages in advocacy and information work: it has drawn up seven demands it believes WHO should implement urgently, maintains a chronology of its correspondence with WHO, publishes texts, videos, books and tracts, and campaigns on issues such as the health consequences of Chernobyl and Fukushima. It argues that the WHO–IAEA agreement creates a patent conflict of interest and that WHO has lost the means to study the health impacts of radioactivity independently, obliging it to rely on data supplied by the IAEA.

Independent WHO was created in 2006 as a collective of associations and individuals. Its founding associations were Enfants de Tchernobyl – Bélarus; the Swiss section of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, known as Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR); the People's Health Movement (PHM); the Commission de recherche et d'information indépendantes sur la radioactivité (CRIIRAD); Réseau Sortir du nucléaire; Brut de Béton Production; ContrAtom; and Sortir du nucléaire – Loire et Vilaine. Several dozen other organisations subsequently declared their support. The collective's central target is the agreement signed between WHO and the IAEA on 28 May 1959, brought into force by resolution WHA 12.40. Independent WHO argues that this agreement makes WHO subordinate to the IAEA — the global promoter of the nuclear industry — in matters relating to ionising radiation, and that it creates a patent conflict of interest. It demands that the agreement be revised so that WHO can independently assess and communicate the health consequences of radioactive contamination. On 26 April 2007, the anniversary of the Chernobyl explosion, the collective began a permanent silent vigil in front of WHO headquarters in Geneva. The 'Hippocratic Vigil' was maintained every working day between 8am and 6pm by a relay of members of the 'IndependentWHO – Health and Nuclear' collective. The vigil demanded that WHO assume its responsibilities independently of the nuclear establishment and that the truth be told about the short- and long-term health damage suffered by all victims of radioactivity, including those resulting from atmospheric military nuclear testing. A parallel vigil was also held in Paris. The vigil continued for ten years, until 26 April 2017. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary, a stele was inaugurated in front of the WHO buildings. The collective announced the end of the IndependentWHO Vigil in Geneva and Paris in May 2017. Throughout its existence, the vigil served as a visible reminder of what the collective describes as WHO's duty under its constitution to attain 'the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health'. Beyond the vigil, Independent WHO has pursued advocacy and information activities. It has drawn up seven demands it believes WHO should implement urgently, maintains a chronology of its correspondence with WHO, and publishes various texts, videos, books and tracts. It has campaigned on the health consequences of the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters, arguing that WHO is concealing the true health consequences of Fukushima just as it did with Chernobyl. The collective's actions have been supported by a large number of political figures, NGOs and health professionals, including Michel Fernex, a former WHO physician, and Youri Bandajevsky, who have called for the abrogation of the WHA 12-40 resolution.

• 2017

  On 26 April, the vigil ends after ten years; a stele is inaugurated in front of the WHO buildings.

• 2017

  In May, the collective announces the end of the IndependentWHO Vigil in Geneva and Paris.

• 2007

  On 26 April, the Hippocratic Vigil begins in front of WHO headquarters in Geneva.

• 2006

  Independent WHO collective founded by eight associations.

Grassroots advocacy collective demanding WHO independence from the IAEA on radiation health matters.

1. 1IndependentWHO - The World Health Organisation (WHO) is failing in its duty to protect those populations who are victims of radioactive contamination.independentwho.org
2. 2The collective IndependentWHO - IndependentWHOindependentwho.org
3. 3Independent WHOwikidata.org
4. 4Independent WHOfr.wikipedia.org