Enacted Changes to IHR Fortify Surveillance and Demand Nations to Combat Misinformation
The World Health Assembly (WHA) has adopted amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) on June 1, 2024. The changes, which were prepared behind closed doors and accepted in the last moments of a meeting that stretched late into Saturday night, are now under scrutiny from various quarters.
The amendments include a definition of a pandemic emergency, a commitment to solidarity and equity, the establishment of the States Parties Committee, and the creation of National IHR Authorities. These changes are intended to strengthen surveillance, a key element on which the business case around future pandemics hinges.
Dr. Meryl Nass, a prominent health expert, has published a series of articles analysing the new text of the IHR. In her third article, she highlighted changes in the amendments and emphasized that nations have at least 10 months to reject any provisions they dislike. In her fourth article, Dr. Nass stated that the IHR amendments were adopted due to the need for the WHA to save face and that the pandemic treaty will continue to be negotiated.
The draft Pandemic Agreement (treaty) has been put back for further negotiation for up to 12 months. The WHO's Member States decided to extend the mandate of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to finalize negotiations on the Pandemic Agreement within a year, by the World Health Assembly in 2025.
The amendments also include an agreement to "address" misinformation and disinformation, a concern expressed by Dr. Nass in her articles. James Roguski and Michele Bachmann, in separate statements, expressed similar concerns, stating that the amendments will facilitate a global build-up of the Pharmaceutical Hospital Emergency Industrial Complex and will give the WHO unprecedented power to enforce its mandates.
The groundwork is laid for potential changes in the approach to public health, with some fearing a shift towards a cycle of fear-mongering, suppression, and coercion. This sentiment was echoed by the Lee County Republican Assembly, who declared the UN, WHO, and WEF as terrorist organisations, although this resolution was not allowed to come up for a vote by the full Executive Committee.
A group of 11 lawyers from nine countries held a press conference in Geneva to provide a critical analysis of the outcome of the 77th World Health Assembly from a legal and constitutional perspective. Shabnam Palesa Mohamed served a legal notice on the WHO/WHA during the assembly, challenging the organization's ultra vires conduct, disputing its responsibility to respect the rule of law, and objecting to related United Nations declarations.
Meanwhile, Austria has lodged a constitutional reservation against the amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR). This means Austria is not bound by the changes until its parliament has formally approved them under Article 50 of the Austrian Federal Constitutional Law; this reservation is valid until the parliamentary approval process is completed and ratification by the Federal President follows.
As negotiations on the Pandemic Agreement continue, the focus remains on ensuring that any changes to public health regulations are transparent, accountable, and respectful of national sovereignty and individual rights.
