The United States has rejected a global pandemic treaty adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO), saying it threatens national sovereignty and lacks clear language.
The United States has officially declined to join a World Health Organization agreement designed to improve global coordination for future pandemics. The treaty was adopted by WHO member states in May after three years of negotiation in Geneva. It aims to ensure equitable access to vaccines, treatments and diagnostics during health emergencies.
In a joint statement released Friday, the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the decision. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the agreement gives too much authority to the WHO and was developed without sufficient public input.
The treaty requires participating manufacturers to provide 20% of pandemic-related vaccines, medicines and tests to the WHO. The goal is to support lower-income countries in accessing life-saving supplies during outbreaks.
According to the U.S. statement, the agreement uses language that is too vague and broad. Officials warned that this could result in international responses shaped by political ideals such as solidarity, rather than fast and effective action. Rubio and Kennedy said rejecting the agreement helps protect U.S. sovereignty.
U.S. negotiators had already withdrawn from the discussions after President Donald Trump began the formal process of pulling the U.S. out of the WHO when he took office in January.
Kennedy, who has long questioned vaccine safety, criticized the WHO in a video address to the Assembly during its vote. He said the agency had failed to learn key lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic when shaping the new agreement.
Although U.S. officials say the rejection defends national authority, legal experts point out that the treaty does not override domestic health policies. The agreement explicitly leaves final decisions in the hands of national governments.
Day 10 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics delivered high-stakes semifinals, dramatic finishes and classic podium moments across Milan and the ...
Geneva is set to host two sets of negotiations on Tuesday, with U.S. officials meeting Iranian representatives in the morning and a trilateral session...
The mother and widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny marked the second anniversary of his death on Monday, as European allies released an ...
Ankara has condemned an Israeli plan to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as state property, a move widely criticised internationally and...
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is ready to pursue diplomacy with Iran as nuclear talks resume in Geneva, using a visit to Budapes...
The United States has carried out its first air transport of a nuclear microreactor on a cargo plane, flying the unit from California to Utah in a demonstration designed to show the technology can be rapidly deployed for military and civilian use.
Despite its economic might, the European Union is often labelled a “geopolitical dwarf.” The only region where it acts as an indisputable player, able to assert its will with relative ease, is the Western Balkans, along with parts of Eastern Europe.
The U.S. Helsinki Commission is set to refocus attention on Georgia’s domestic political crisis and its faltering relationship with Washington with a 11 February briefing titled “Georgian Dream’s Growing Suppression of Dissent.”
Iran would retaliate by striking U.S. military bases across the Middle East if it comes under attack by American forces, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday (7 January), stressing that such action should not be seen as targeting the countries hosting those bases.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said China has the power to bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, arguing that Beijing is enabling Moscow’s military campaign.
Austria’s Janine Flock won the gold medal in the women’s skeleton event at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Saturday.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said the United States could evaluate its own interests separately from those of Israel in ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday (15 February) called it “troubling” a report by five European allies blaming Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using a toxin from poison dart frogs.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Russia’s decision to change the leadership of its delegation for upcoming peace talks in Geneva appeared to be an attempt to delay progress.
Measles cases across Europe and Central Asia fell sharply in 2025 compared to the previous year but health officials have warned that the risk of fresh outbreaks remains unless vaccination gaps are urgently addressed.
A Florida university has become a new hotspot in a widening U.S. measles outbreak, with health officials confirming multiple infections and hospitalisations.
The World Health Organization has added the Nipah virus to its list of the world’s top 10 priority diseases, alongside COVID-19 and the Zika virus, warning that its epidemic potential highlights the global risk posed by fast-spreading outbreaks.
Belgian authorities are examining suspected cases of infants falling ill after consuming recalled Nestle baby formula, amid warnings that confirmed infections may be underestimated due to limited testing requirements.
Two Nipah infections involving health workers in India have triggered heightened screening across Southeast Asia as authorities move to prevent the high fatality virus from spreading beyond the country.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment