WHO launches digital health partnership with EU

The World Health Organization and the European Commission announced on Monday the launch of a digital health partnership that will expand the use of the European Union's system of digital COVID-19 certification.

According to the WHO's news release on Monday, the global health agency will adopt the EU's COVID-19 digital certification program from this month, and build a global digital health certification network based on the principles and open technologies of the EU legacy.

The EU's COVID-19 certificates started in June 2021 to facilitate safe travel for citizens across the bloc at a time when countries issued border restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.

Travelers' vaccination and test results are shown on the documents to prove their health status.

The partnership means the current EU digital certificates, set to expire this summer, will be extended for global use. It will also be used for the control of other pathologies, and possibly other pandemics.

Additional features, such as digitized international routine vaccination cards, may also be included in the network.

A total of 51 countries across four continents have been involved in the system, the European Commission said on its website.

"The WHO aims to offer all WHO member states access to an open-source digital health tool, which is based on the principles of equity, innovation, transparency and data protection and privacy," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO's director-general, was quoted as saying.

The network will not allow access to people's underlying personal data, the WHO said.

Thierry Breton, the bloc's commissioner for internal market, said the EU has set a global standard.

Zheng Wanyin in London contributed to this story.