GENEVA: The World Health Organization has firmly denied US allegations that recent amendments to global health regulations infringe on national sovereignty. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus clarified that the organization only provides guidance, leaving implementation entirely to member states.
“Our job is to provide evidence-based recommendations and guidelines, and to support countries to protect and improve the health of their populations,“ Tedros stated. “But how or whether countries implement that advice has always been and always will be up to them, based on their national guidelines and rules.”
The amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR), approved in 2024, introduced a “pandemic emergency” alert level to enable faster global coordination. These changes followed criticism of delayed responses during the COVID-19 crisis.
However, the US administration, led by President Donald Trump, rejected the revisions last week. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy argued that the rules could undermine national decision-making.
“We will put Americans first in all our actions and we will not tolerate international policies that infringe on Americans’ speech, privacy or personal liberties,“ they said in a joint statement.
Tedros emphasized that the amendments were developed and adopted by member states, not imposed by the WHO. “WHO has no authority to tell countries what to do. We cannot impose travel bans, lockdowns, vaccine mandates or any other type of measure. Nor do we seek to,“ he said.
Steven Solomon, WHO’s chief legal officer, confirmed that only a few countries opposed the changes before the July 19 deadline. “It’s now clear that the 2024 IHR amendments will apply to the overwhelming majority of the 196 countries that are party to the IHRs,“ he said. - AFP
