New Zealand's former Prime Minister Helen Clark has been appointed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to lead a review of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Describing this duty as "exceptionally challenging", she has warned that the danger of the pandemic will not decrease easily and the possibility of such a crisis rising again still exists. reminding everyone that this is the sixth time in the last 17 years that such a crisis has arised.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/unknown-pneumonia-deadlier-than-coronavirus-sweeping-across-kazakhstan-warns-chinese-embassy-312099">Also read|&nbsp;'Unknown Pneumonia' deadlier than coronavirus sweeping across Kazakhstan, warns Chinese Embassy</a>

Clark said that&nbsp;if the world remained "flat-footed" in its response to pandemics, it faces future economic, social and political crisis.

"This is going to happen again. If the world is as flat-footed in response as it has been to this we are in serious ongoing economic, social, political crisis," she said in a local TV interview.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bubonic-plague-being-well-managed-in-china-not-high-risk-who-311353">Also read|&nbsp;Bubonic plague being 'well managed' in China, not high risk: WHO</a>

The statement came after the WHO on Thursday announced that Helen Clark and Liberia's former president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will lead a panel investigating and scrutinising the global response to the ongoing pandemic.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called both women "strong-minded, independent leaders" and gave them the freedom to&nbsp;assess WHO's and governments' responses to the pandemic.

Clark and Sirleaf have to choose their panel members. Clark has described this to be a challenging but important job. "But there's also a very real job to do, which is to look at how the WHO has been able to lead. Does it have the right mechanisms? What actually happened here? And there's a lot of politics in that," she said.

New Zealand's former Prime Minister Helen Clark has been appointed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to lead a review of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Zealand's former Prime Minister Helen Clark has been appointed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to lead a review of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Describing this duty as "exceptionally challenging", she has warned that the danger of the pandemic will not decrease easily and the possibility of such a crisis rising again still exists. reminding everyone that this is the sixth time in the last 17 years that such a crisis has arised. Also read| 'Unknown Pneumonia' deadlier than coronavirus sweeping across Kazakhstan, warns Chinese Embassy Clark said that if the world remained "flat-footed" in its response to pandemics, it faces future economic, social and political crisis. "This is going to happen again. If the world is as flat-footed in response as it has been to this we are in serious ongoing economic, social, political crisis," she said in a local TV interview. Also read| Bubonic plague being 'well managed' in China, not high risk: WHO The statement came after the WHO on Thursday announced that Helen Clark and Liberia's former president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will lead a panel investigating and scrutinising the global response to the ongoing pandemic. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called both women "strong-minded, independent leaders" and gave them the freedom to assess WHO's and governments' responses to the pandemic. Clark and Sirleaf have to choose their panel members. Clark has described this to be a challenging but important job. "But there's also a very real job to do, which is to look at how the WHO has been able to lead. Does it have the right mechanisms? What actually happened here? And there's a lot of politics in that," she said.

Flat-footed response will bring back crisis: former New Zealand PM Helen Clark

Former Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark believes that US President Donald Trump's decision to cut funding to the WHO is foolish. Watch this exclusive conversation with WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma Upadhyay.

Gravitas: Former NZ PM Helen Clark: Trump pulling WHO funding foolish

In an exclusive interview with WION, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand - Helen Clark spoke to WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma Upadhyay on WION Global Leadership Series about New Zealand's response to COVID-19 pandemic and what world can learn from New Zealand.

Former New Zealand PM Helen Clark speaks to WION on COVID-19 crisis | Global Leadership Series

Former Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark on Saturday highlighted the major challenges confronting the world today.&nbsp;

In an exclusive interview with WION, Helen praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the challenges which were earlier ignored by prominent leaders.&nbsp;

Helen said that climate change is one of the biggest challenges the world currently needs to address.&nbsp;

When asked did PM Modi&#39;s maiden speech at the World Economic Forum at Davos ticked all the right boxex there, Helen said, &nbsp;

&quot;Its been pleasing for me to see Prime Minister Modi really emphasise climate change as a huge challenge and I believe that when he visited president Macron in France, he said India will do better than what it pledged in Paris. So this is good. We need all leaders making such statement.&quot;

Helen, who is the first woman to head the United Nations Development programme, said that inequality is another issue which is rising at a rapid pace.&nbsp;

She stressed that it needs to be addressed with the same importance as climate change.

On being asked about the never-ending conflict in Afghanistan, Helen said that dialogue is the only process to end such things.&nbsp;

&quot;You cannot win these kinds of wars. No one can win them. There have been over the years, behind the scenes,&nbsp;negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghanistan government. That needs to continue at least of what you could get.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;But at the moment there aren&#39;t any possible developments,&quot; she added. 
&nbsp;

Helen said that climate change is one of the biggest challenges

Former Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark on Saturday highlighted the major challenges confronting the world today. In an exclusive interview with WION, Helen praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the challenges which were earlier ignored by prominent leaders. Helen said that climate change is one of the biggest challenges the world currently needs to address. When asked did PM Modi's maiden speech at the World Economic Forum at Davos ticked all the right boxex there, Helen said, "Its been pleasing for me to see Prime Minister Modi really emphasise climate change as a huge challenge and I believe that when he visited president Macron in France, he said India will do better than what it pledged in Paris. So this is good. We need all leaders making such statement." Helen, who is the first woman to head the United Nations Development programme, said that inequality is another issue which is rising at a rapid pace. She stressed that it needs to be addressed with the same importance as climate change. On being asked about the never-ending conflict in Afghanistan, Helen said that dialogue is the only process to end such things. "You cannot win these kinds of wars. No one can win them. There have been over the years, behind the scenes, negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghanistan government. That needs to continue at least of what you could get." "But at the moment there aren't any possible developments," she added.

Helen Clark hails PM Modi's speech at Davos, says he 'ticked major boxes'

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Flat-footed response will bring back crisis: former New Zealand PM Helen Clark

Gravitas: Former NZ PM Helen Clark: Trump pulling WHO funding foolish

Former New Zealand PM Helen Clark speaks to WION on COVID-19 crisis | Global Leadership Series

Helen Clark hails PM Modi's speech at Davos, says he 'ticked major boxes'