Thread by @clarewenham

I welcome the recent engagement by sections of the media and public to engage + participate in global pandemic governance thru #stopthetreaty … but first there needs to be greater understating of what @WHO is + what currently is for discussion in #IHR reform #pandemictreaty 🧵

https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1527470653338681358

This is happening here in the UK too (thanks Russel Brand @rustyrockets for a plug to our work @LSEnews )

https://twitter.com/jamesmelville/status/1526084477260337152

There are so many errors that I am seeing, as an expert in global health security and @WHO processes for pandemic preparedness & response I thought I would share some thoughts, this is complex and multi-stranded

1. The content of the #pandemictreaty is not yet known/public - so any claims that it is going to restrict liberties / impose lockdowns is simply in the imagination of those speaking

2. Nevertheless, the current discussions about proposed content focus on; improved disease surveillance, data sharing, vaccine + diagnostics development and equity, genomic data, one health, global cooperation, stronger health systems, financing for pandemics

3. In no conversation/writing that I have seen on matter (a lot) has there been any discussion of including any potential power to impose lockdowns or restrict civil liberties (this remains entirely the prerogative of domestic governments)

4. Despite content uncertainties - there is still no definitive agreement as to whether #pandemictreaty will be legally binding or not, and how this can be enforced under current @who authorities. The current mechanism for compliance with #IHR is name and shame

5. Compliance remains a key concern for #pandemictreaty discussions, but it’s increasingly likely this will revolve around incentivisation rather than any form of sanctions (which no gov will agree to)

6. Next - the claim that @who is managing this process as an unelected body. Well, that’s partly true, the #inb is negotiating the process, which is comprised of 6 member states, supported by some who secretariat, but govs are deciding

7. And ultimately the decision will be made to ratify #pandemictreaty at the World Health Assembly (the governance body of @WHO ) which is comprised of 194 member states - and it is elected officials from each state (normally minister of health) who leads delegation

8. So this is a democratic process, as per most multilateral institutions.

Moreover, the DG of @who currently @DrTedros is also democratically elected by a vote amongst all member states

So whilst @who is a technical body; it is governed by democratic processes and principles

9. It’s also important to remember that what’s being proposed in treaty isn’t wildly different to what currently exists under #IHR - intl law which has navigated the balance between sovereignty and public health (and which has always favoured sovereignty)

10. @WHO have had power under this to call out governments and encourage action to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks, but have never done so without explicit consent of affected countries. As a member state body, they work in unison rather than antagonise states

11. In fact, much to @who chagrin - most govs see institution as an area of little power, and it certainly doesn’t have the power to impose anything on governments without governments legislating for it domestically

12. Moreover, as we have seen from #COVID19 - govs have consistently departed from @who advice on pandemic control and charted their own domestic course.

13. Heck, @WHO can’t even get its member govs to pay their annual $$ contributions to the org. Where is this power that people assume the institution have over govs suddenly going to come from?

14. I think those pushing #StopTheTreaty also need to consider the benefits that it could bring - better surveillance and data sharing will mean all govs know about an outbreak sooner, and then can decide how to #controlborders - without global processes @WHO, no info for this

15. So whilst I hope for more public debates about @WHO and proposed treaty, this needs to be from a point of knowing the facts and what is actually happening.

https://twitter.com/suec00k/status/1526603665703837696

For more information on the pandemic treaty, we wrote an article recently published in @IAJournal_CH

academic.oup.com/ia/article/98/…

For more information on how @who works I suggest

chathamhouse.org/2014/05/whats-…

And a guardian piece from a couple years ago

theguardian.com/news/2020/apr/…

Whilst @WHO is not perfect, we need transnational structures to manage global problems like pandemics. #IHR and #PandemicTreaty are just that, and without them we’ll be a lot worse off