Partisan Sparring Persists as WHO Pandemic Initiative Fails

Eight Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Ambassador Bathsheba Nell Crocker, U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN and other International Organizations in Geneva, in support of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) draft Pandemic Agreement that will be considered by the WHO members this month. 

Earlier this month Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis), led the entire Republican Senate conference in calling for the administrationto reject the Agreement. "We strongly urge you not to join any pandemic related treaty, convention, or agreement being considered" at the 77th World Health Assembly," the Senators wrote.

“It is in our nation’s best interest to set international standards for strong national health security and accountability. Collaborating with our international partners on pandemic prevention and response efforts is essential to saving American lives, and we urge you to do just that when WHO members gather to consider adopting the Pandemic Agreement this month,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote.

Meanwhile, in Geneva,  the Associated Press reports Roland Driece, co-chair of WHO’s negotiating board for the agreement, acknowledged Friday that countries were unable to come up with a draft. 

“We are not where we hoped we would be when we started this process," he said, adding that finalizing an international agreement on how to respond to a pandemic was critical “for the sake of humanity.”