“The World Health Organization (WHO) should be preserved as the leading authority and guardian of public health at the global level,” Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said at Friday's UN session.

The Croatian Prime Minister has a completely opposite view of the World Health Organisation than the US President, Donald Trump, who once claimed that “China has total control over the World Health Organization.”

Plenković spoke at a special virtual session of the UN General Assembly about the coronavirus pandemic, which infected 65 million people and killed 1.5 million people worldwide.

"We believe that it is extremely important to preserve the central role of the World Health Organization ... Croatia firmly believes in the need for a global joint approach to the fight against the pandemic," said Plenković, who is in isolation due to being positive to Covid-19.

He reaffirmed Croatia's commitment to the United Nations Program on Sustainable Development until 2030 and the Paris Agreement, from which Trump also withdrew the United States.

US President Donald Trump cut funding for the WHO earlier this year and announced that the US would leave the Geneva-based organization, accusing it of being a puppet of China, which the WHO has denied.

In his speech, Plenković said that optimism in the fight against Covid-19 is instilled by the fact that several vaccines are awaiting approval and use, and that the next challenge at the global level is to ensure fair and timely availability of vaccines.

"An additional priority is to ensure a coordinated and clear communication on the efficacy and safety of vaccines and thus prevent the spread of false information," he said.

"Our response to this disease should include helping people, protecting their health and economic well-being, while protecting our planet," Plenković said.

And in his speech, the Croatian Prime Minister also reminded the UN session that one of the founders of the World Health Organisation was Croatian professor Andrija Štampar.