WHEELING, WV ( WTRF ) – West Virginia Governor Jim Justice is among a group of 24 Republican governors who joined together to write a letter to President Joe Biden to state their united opposition to two proposals currently under negotiation that would grant the World Health Organization (WHO) what they call “unprecedented and unconstitutional” powers in the United States.
The governors state that “if adopted, these agreements would seek to elevate the WHO from an advisory body to a global authority in public health. Under the proposed amendments and treaty, the WHO’s Director-General would supposedly gain unilateral power to declare a ‘public health emergency of international concern’ (PHEIC) in member nations, extending beyond pandemics to include a range of perceived emergencies.”
In late May and early June, the representatives from the World Health Assembly’s 194 member countries met and agreed on a package of “critical amendments” to the International Health Regulations (2005), according to the WHO. The goal of the amendments was to commit to completing negotiations on a global pandemic agreement. WHO says the goal was to complete those negotiations within a year.
The WHO said the amendments were designed to “strengthen global preparedness, surveillance and response to public health emergencies.”
In June, the WHO’s member states agreed to a global process to create a draft for a pandemic agreement.
In their letter, the governors claim the proposals in the draft of the amendments give the WHO’s director-general authority to dictate PHEIC responses, which they believe could “erode state sovereignty” and strip elected officials from “their role in setting public health policies and compelling citizens to comply with WHO directives, potentially including mandates regarding medical treatments.”
The governors say they are concerned the most recent draft of the “Pandemic Treaty,” which would allow for the WHO to have immediate access to outbreak sites through rapid response and expert teams, would weaken intellectual property rights. The draft also allows the WHO to use the treaty to call for parties to combat false, misleading, misinformation, or disinformation through effective international collaboration and cooperation.
The governors say they are concerned because they believe public health policy in the U.S. is a matter that should be “reserved for the states, not the federal government and certainly not international bodies like WHO.”
Read the full letter here .
The 24 governors who signed the letter include Governor Kay Ivey (AL), Governor Mike Dunleavy (AK), Governor Sarah Sanders (AR), Governor Ron DeSantis (FL), Governor Brian Kemp (GA), Governor Brad Little (ID), Governor Eric Holcomb (IN), Governor Kim Reynolds (IA), Governor Jeff Landry (LA), Governor Tate Reeves (MS), Governor Greg Gianforte (MT), Governor Jim Pillen (NE), Governor Joe Lombardo (NV), Governor Chris Sununu (NH), Governor Doug Burgum (ND), Governor Kevin Stitt (OK), Governor Henry McMaster (SC), Governor Kristi Noem (SD), Governor Bill Lee (TN), Governor Greg Abbott (TX), Governor Spencer Cox (UT), Governor Glenn Youngkin (VA), Governor Jim Justice (WV), and Governor Mark Gordon (WY).
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