World Health Organisation: Friend or Foe?

The World Health Organisation's Role in the Pandemic

Dr. Ramesh Thakur, in his book "Our Enemy, the Government: How Covid Enabled the Expansion and Abuse of State Power", criticizes the World Health Organisation (WHO) for its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite being the leading global agency for health crisis preparedness and coordination, the WHO's response to the pandemic has been, at best, inconsistent. This has led to questions about its effectiveness and calls for an increase in its authority and resources.

Should the WHO Have More Power?

The pandemic has highlighted the need for global solutions to global problems. However, the power and resources to tackle these problems often lie with individual states. An effective global health governance system would have identified the threat early, raised the alarm, and coordinated the delivery of essential supplies to the most vulnerable populations. The WHO, being at the center of the current global health governance system, has a mandate to promote universal health care, monitor public health risks, prepare for health emergencies, and coordinate responses. While it has had successes in the past, such as eradicating smallpox and managing the response to SARS, its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic has been less than stellar.

Failures of the WHO During the Pandemic

The WHO's response to the pandemic has been criticized for being slow, inconsistent, and influenced by political considerations. Its credibility has been damaged by its late response to the outbreak, its treatment of Taiwan, its initial investigation into the origins of the virus, and its changing advice on masks and lockdowns. Moreover, the measures promoted by the WHO to combat the virus have had significant negative impacts on mental health, food security, economies, education, and social well-being, among other areas. These measures have also infringed on human rights, civil liberties, and individual autonomy.

Proposed Changes to the WHO's Authority

Despite these criticisms, there are efforts underway to increase the WHO's authority and resources. These efforts, led by Western countries and backed by Australia, aim to amend international health regulations and adopt a new pandemic treaty. This would give the WHO the power to declare public health emergencies and instruct governments to implement their recommendations. These proposed changes have been criticized as a power grab by the WHO, Big Pharma, and Big Donors. Critics argue that they would strengthen the WHO's surveillance and response capabilities, lock in the narrative of lockdowns and vaccines, and prevent independent reviews of their costs and effectiveness.

Public Debate on the WHO's Role

Despite the far-reaching implications of these proposed changes, there has been little public debate on the issue. Critics argue that states should be wary of ceding control to international bureaucracies, which they see as inefficient, cumbersome, and unaccountable. They also warn that the WHO's expanded remit could include other issues, such as climate change, gun violence, and racism, which some governments argue also constitute public health emergencies.

The WHO's Focus on Pandemics

The proposed changes would prioritize pandemics above all other health issues. However, pandemics are rare events and impose a relatively low disease burden compared to other health problems. Critics argue that the focus on pandemics would shift resources away from more common diseases and create a self-perpetuating global biopharmaceutical complex.

The WHO's Woke Agenda?

In addition to these concerns, critics argue that the WHO has been captured by woke activists. They point to the WHO's promotion of "sexuality education" from birth, its guidance on abortion care, and its stance on alcohol consumption as evidence of this. They argue that the WHO's focus on public health safety has led it to disregard other important values, such as liberty, free choice, and individual responsibility.

Conclusion: The Future of the WHO

The WHO's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and its proposed expansion of power have raised serious questions about its role in global health governance. Critics argue that the WHO's failures during the pandemic, its proposed power grab, and its woke agenda make it unfit to lead