Congressional Report On Treaty & IHR Amendments Is Very Informative; Says The Negotiations Are Trumps Fault For EXITING WHO With "A W.H.O. Roadmap"; Trump Asked To Reform WHO & US Is Doing It?

Congressional Research Office Publishes Plan Explaining Congress Currently Doesn't Want To Stop Executive Decisions Regarding WHO. Gives 3 big ideas to ask Congress, if Congress wants to get involved.

Let’s talk about how Congress wants to give the Executive Branch the authority to introduce IHR Amendments without congressional consent.

The following document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) on February 1, 2024, just days after the WHO DG failed to communicate up to date full package. Here we see Congress, and the whole-of-government continuing on to amend the IHR in clear violation of Article 55 of the IHR (Article 55 says the full package of amendments must be communicated at least 4 months prior to WHA).

CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Lets see what they say about IHR amendments.

https://crsreports.congress.gov

And they say it’s all Trumps fault haha:

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Lets start at the end of the article to get inside the head of Congress for a minute:

Does the Administration require congressional approval to propose or adopt IHR amendments?

The executive branch retains authority to introduce IHR amendments without congressional consent.

• If Congress wishes to exercise greater control over U.S. proposals for or positions on IHR amendments, it could consider requiring the Administration to notify and consult with Congress about such proposals.

• Congress could also consider placing conditions on the use of appropriated funds or

• Enact a Sense of Congress expressing support for or concern about particular amendments.

So… Congress isn’t really wanting this role, they gave it all up to the Executive. - IOJ

Here is the February 1, 2024 Congressional Research Office doc in it’s entirety, starting at the beginning, from the perspective the Executive was clearly given this power to bind US.

Ihr Usa Feb 1 2024 Congressional

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U.S. Proposals to Amend the International Health Regulations

Background

Since 1980, outbreaks of new and long-standing infectious diseases have been occurring with greater frequency and causing higher numbers of human infections. The World

Health Assembly (WHA), the governing body of the World Health Organization (WHO), has occasionally amended a long-standing set of rules called the International Health Regulations (IHR) to address this growing global threat. In January 2022, the United States introduced amendments to the Regulations that sought to broaden the ways in which WHO could respond to public health threats and increase the pace of such responses. Congressional deliberations of these amendments focused on the potential implications of implementation and whether adoption of the amendments would require congressional consent since the United States consented to be legally bound by the Regulations through an executive agreement. This In Focus addresses common questions regarding the IHR, including the role of Congress and the status of U.S.-proposed amendments to the Regulations.

International Health Regulations

In 1969, WHA adopted the IHR to stop the spread of six diseases (cholera, plague, yellow fever, smallpox, relapsing fever, and typhus) through quarantine and other infectious disease control measures. The WHA amended the IHR several times, most comprehensively in 2005. The 2005 edition, known as IHR (2005), expanded methods for controlling infectious disease outbreaks beyond quarantine and broadened the type of public health events that would require international coordination. The Regulations provide an overarching legal framework that defines the rights and obligations of parties to the agreement (which includes the United States and all other WHO Member States) in handling public health events and emergencies that have the potential to cross borders. They also outline criteria for declaring a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and requirements for Member States to

• Report public health events;

• Designate National IHR Focal Points for communication with WHO; and

• Establish and maintain core capacities for surveillance and response.

IHR (2005) compliance is measured through a self- assessment questionnaire that WHO sends to Member States.

Public Health Emergency of International Concern

Following the emergence of an event that might be deemed a PHEIC, the WHO Director-General convenes an international team of independent experts to analyze available information on the event and consider the views of the State Party where the event is occurring. The team, called the Emergency Committee, makes recommendations to the Director-General on how to control the event and whether to declare a PHEIC. The composition of each Emergency Committee varies per outbreak. The IHR Emergency Committee for Pneumonia Due to the Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV, for example, was composed of 15 scientists from around the world, including an official from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Though the Director-General usually follows the advice of Emergency Committees, the Director-General makes final determinations on the event.

A PHEIC declaration alerts countries to implement public health emergency responses, as outlined in IHR (2005). The Regulations provide the framework for the response and Member States develop their own implementation plans. In upholding IHR (2005), the Regulations specify that Member States have “the sovereign right to legislate and to implement legislation in pursuance of their health policies.”

As such, a PHEIC declaration does not automatically restrict travel or impose specific quarantine requirements, for example.

Following a PHEIC declaration, countries may take a number of actions, including heightening surveillance, reporting incidence of the relevant disease to the WHO, and allocating resources for domestic or international responses.

On behalf of the United States, former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, for example, “declared a public health emergency for the entire United States to aid the nation’s healthcare community in responding to 2019 novel coronavirus” following the WHO PHEIC declaration for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). A declaration can also enable WHO to access certain emergency funding during an outbreak, such as that provided through the United Nations (U.N.) Central Emergency Response Fund and the World Bank Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility.

Frequently Asked Questions

How were the IHR adopted and amended?

Article 21 of the WHO Constitution authorizes WHA to adopt regulations to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, including sanitary and quarantine requirements, disease and other nomenclatures, diagnostic procedure standards, and safety, advertising, and labeling standards for pharmaceutical and other products. WHA developed the IHR pursuant to this authority. Article 55 of IHR (2005) authorizes WHA to consider and adopt IHR amendments proposed by WHO Member States.

When did the United States become a party to the IHR, and are the Regulations a treaty?

In 1948, Congress adopted legislation authorizing the President to accept U.S. membership in WHO, and toU.S. Proposals to Amend the International Health Regulations become party to the WHO Constitution. Under the WHO Constitution, Member States can adopt new conventions, agreements, and regulations through voting in WHA.

• New conventions and agreements require a Member State to become party via signature and ratification “in accordance with its constitutional processes” as a standalone treaty.

• In contrast, regulations adopted by WHA, and amendments thereto, enter into force for all Member States automatically following a notice period after WHA adoption, unless an individual Member State notifies the Director-General that it wishes to reject or modify its obligations under such regulations.

The United States agreed to be bound by the obligations of IHR (2005) with the reservation that aspects of IHR implementation might be left to U.S. state governments rather than the federal government.

How does WHO monitor IHR (2005) implementation?

IHR (2005) requires all Member States to have developed minimum public health capacities to detect acute public health events in a timely manner, assess and report to WHO through their National IHR Focal Point health events that may constitute a PHEIC, and respond to public health risks and emergencies. WHO monitors State Party progress in these areas through the issuance and analysis of self- assessment questionnaires.

How does WHO enforce IHR?

As noted, IHR (2005) does not provide WHO with enforcement authority; instead, IHR (2005) specifies that implementation must follow national decision making processes. If a WHO Member State asserts another is not adhering to IHR obligations, that Member State may raise the issue with the other Member State, privately or during WHA sessions. A WHO Member State could also initiate dispute settlement procedures set out in Article 56 of IHR (2005). To date, no WHO Member State has ever invoked the Article 56 process against another Member State.

Why did the United States propose amendments to IHR (2005)?

In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump Administration criticized what it called WHO’s delayed acknowledgement that COVID-19 was spreading via human-to-human transmission and WHO’s inability to investigate fully the origins of the pandemic. Several Members of Congress also criticized the WHO response and called for a range of actions, including withdrawing from WHO, holding China accountable for failing to comply with IHR (2005) in a timely fashion, strengthening WHO, and boosting global disease surveillance capacity within and outside of WHO. The Trump Administration, after announcing in 2020 the intent to withdraw the United States from WHO, released a “WHO Roadmap” to “strengthen the WHO by increasing accountability and its ability to be impartial and objective, [and] improve transparency and its overall effectiveness, by providing it with a more comprehensive set of tools that are fit-for-purpose to address new and emerging threats.” At the 150th Session of the WHO Executive Board in January 2022, theUnited States introduced amendments to IHR (2005) that were expected to be considered at the 75th WHA in May 2022. The amendments introduced by the Biden Administration built on the aforementioned Roadmap, congressional calls for strengthening IHR (2005) compliance, and feedback from the WHO Working Group on Strengthening WHO Preparedness and Response to Health Emergencies.

What amendments did the United States propose?

The amendments were primarily aimed at expanding the capacity of WHO to respond to public health events, including to

• Permit WHO to develop an early warning system and to issue a public health alert for events that are not deemed a PHEIC;

• Enable WHO to issue a PHEIC and other alerts should a Member State where the event is occurring decline to cooperate;

• Require the Member State that rejected WHO consultation to provide a rationale for its decision;

• Permit a WHO Regional Director to declare a public health emergency of regional concern;

• Direct countries to provide WHO-convened experts investigating a possible PHEIC “short term access to relevant sites ... in compliance with national law”; and

• Establish a Compliance Committee to oversee and report on global IHR (2005) compliance.

What is the status of the U.S.-proposed amendments?

The 75th WHA adopted the proposed amendment to shorten the period of time in which countries could implement and object to any IHR amendments. The WHA also decided to establish a Working Group on IHR amendments “to discuss targeted amendments to address specific and clearly identified issues, challenges, including equity, technological or other developments, or gaps that could not effectively be addressed otherwise but are critical to supporting effective implementation and compliance of the International Health Regulations.” The Working Group has received over 300 proposed amendments from 15 countries and stated that it plans to propose a package of targeted amendments for consideration at the 77th WHA in May 2024.

REPEATING THE FOLLOWING that we pasted at the top:

Let this sink in… Congress COULD act if they wanted to. So, let’s think a minute, can we ask them to care and implement these suggestions below?

Does the Administration require congressional approval to propose or adopt IHR amendments?

The executive branch retains authority to introduce IHR amendments without congressional consent.

1. If Congress wishes to exercise greater control over U.S. proposals for or positions on IHR amendments, it could consider requiring the Administration to notify and consult with Congress about such proposals.

2. Congress could also consider placing conditions on the use of appropriated funds or

3. Enact a Sense of Congress expressing support for or concern about particular amendments.

Tiaji Salaam-Blyther, Specialist in Global Health

Matthew C. Weed, Specialist in Foreign Policy Legislation

Disclaimer

This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States.

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Thoughts? Should Congress be asked to consider these ideas? Would Congress sell us all out if we request them to consider these options? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

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Humanity has a duty to question the WHO’s head Attorney’s “true copy” of an alleged vote for 2022 IHR Amendments that appears to possibly be fraudulent…

Was there a real vote? If not, WHO is in big trouble and the 2022 IHR Amendments are null and void

******Sign legal demand below******

Use your voice to speak up and say no more UN and WHO funding for unproven agendas and monopolistic strategies and One Health concepts.

On May 27, 2022, Committee A of the World Health Assembly “purportedly adopted” the amendments to the International Health Regulations.

The Secret IHR meetings that happened in 2022 need to become transparent. We’re DEMANDING the HHS and World Health Organization answer the questions.

We have also presented a freedom of information request along with other legal processes started.

Click Here To Sign Petition