Washington says amendments to global health regulations risk interfering in US \u2018sovereign right to make health policy\u2019.<\/p>\n
Washington, DC \u2013 The United States has withdrawn from reforms introduced by the World Health Organisation<\/a> (WHO) last year to enhance the global response to pandemics, part of a broader push by Washington against international regulations.<\/p>\n The administration of President Donald Trump formally rejected on Friday the 2024 amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) that were put in place in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>.<\/p>\n Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy announced the move in a joint statement, saying that it aims to \u201cprevent international bureaucrats from shaping US domestic policies\u201d.<\/p>\n The legally binding amendments expanded the regulations to improve the international response to a future pandemic.<\/p>\n They included the adoption of a clear definition of what constitutes a pandemic emergency and how it can be triggered, as well as efforts to improve information-sharing between countries across the world and WHO.<\/p>\n The amendments also called for allowing poorer nations access to medical products to \u201cequitably address the needs and priorities of developing countries\u201d.<\/p>\n The US officials took issue with several provisions in the reforms.<\/p>\n \u201cTerminology throughout the 2024 amendments is vague and broad, risking WHO-coordinated international responses that focus on political issues like solidarity, rather than rapid and effective actions,\u201d Rubio and Kennedy said in their statements.<\/p>\n Lockdowns and vaccine mandates<\/a> were a contentious political issue in the US during the pandemic, with right-wing activists close to Trump leading the charge in rejecting the measures.<\/p>\n At the same time, US conservatives have long been suspicious of multilateral institutions, viewing international rules as an infringement on the US\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n But advocates of global health regulations argue that pandemics do not stop at borders, and therefore must be confronted with a collaborative, international effort.<\/p>\n