Opinion: The WHO’s new pandemic treaty is good for the world — and the U.S.
In December, delegates from more than 180 countries met in Switzerland to discuss the International Treaty for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response, which had initially been proposed in December 2021. Support for it gained traction as the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted concerns about global vaccine inequity, genomic data-sharing, and more. The December talks productively focused on these issues and concluded with delegates agreeing to another round of negotiation in February.
Despite its seemingly blasé and technocratic focus, the pandemic treaty has come under fire in the United States. Conservative commentators have attacked the treaty as an attempt by a biased World Health Organization to impose endless lockdowns and curtail Americans’ rights. In Congress, any future pandemic accord will likely face stiff resistance in the Senate, as right-wing analysts have expressed concerns that a treaty could constrain American national sovereignty. Such opposition has derailed a number of treaties, ranging from the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
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