Men December, delegates from more than 180 countries met in Switzerland to discuss the International Agreement on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response, which was originally proposed in December 2021. vaccine disparities, genomic data sharing, and more. The December talks focused on the issue and ended with delegates agreeing to further talks in February.
Despite their seemingly cynical and technical focus, the pandemic has sparked outrage in the United States. Commentators have criticized the agreement as an attempt by the World Health Organization to open permanent doors and limit the rights of Americans. In Congress, any future pandemic agreement could face strong opposition in the Senate, as right-wing experts have expressed concern that the deal could undermine America’s national sovereignty. Such opposition has undermined several treaties, from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
We find many objections to this agreement difficult to understand. It is not an attempt to limit American sovereignty or to limit civil liberties. Instead, it could provide an important way for the US to promote global health – which affects the health of the American people – as well as allay concerns about the WHO’s bias and strengthen the influence of American values on the world stage.
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Based on what is written here, the new pandemic agreement will greatly benefit global health. In 2020, the effective sharing of data between countries at the beginning of the epidemic led to the rapid spread of Covid-19, including in the US. and prolong the plague. Together, these costly crimes cost more than 1 million American lives and billions in economic damage.
The pandemic agreement, however, can help prevent such accidents. Arrangements to facilitate data sharing between countries can help US scientists and public health officials make quick and informed decisions to reduce the spread of disease, while decisions to ensure the distribution of vaccines around the world can prevent the rise of dangerous strains of pathogens. .
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Beyond these benefits, the agreement could address many of the concerns that conservative critics had about the WHO in the first place. For example, some say that the pandemic coalition could empower an organization that many see as anti-American and influenced by foreign governments.
If the WHO were to favor the US, the pandemic agreement would be the best solution to the problem. It would give the US a strong seat at the table, allowing it to use its economic and financial power to support the promotion of American civil servants and their allies at the WHO. These staff often have a strong influence on international organizations – one study found that international staff at the United Nations often have the real power over everything from arms control negotiations to funding for post-civil war reconstruction. American influence on staff selection through the pandemic agreement could ensure that WHO officials remain friendly to American cultures and reduce concerns about American bias.
Many of the criticisms that are mounting against the pandemic’s consensus are baseless. The pandemic agreement will not change the final decisions on public health or the closure of the WHO – such authority rests in the hands of the American people and their representatives. Also, the concern about the agreement to limit the sovereignty of America is misleading, because it is unlikely that restrictions on the sovereignty of the country will enter the agreement due to the number of countries that show similar doubts and want a way to limit it.
Signing the pandemic agreement would be an important opportunity to strengthen America’s influence in the developing world. For years, the US has neglected diplomatic and economic ties with sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and other developing countries. The result has prompted other countries to take immediate action, whether that means China’s aggressive sales to Latin America or Russia’s arms sales to sub-Saharan Africa. As projections show that some of these countries are expected to double their economic growth and become more powerful in the future, the US can no longer ignore these countries if it wants to pursue its global leadership.
Participating in good faith in this pandemic partnership represents a great way to increase US influence in these areas. Widespread global inequities in the distribution of vaccines and aid have left many low-income countries and their citizens distrustful of Western institutions and willing to look elsewhere, giving countries like China and Russia the opportunity they need to create aid. But if the US successfully used the epidemic partnership to support the development of health in low-income countries, the results could significantly change the opinion of the US public and promote good relations between the two countries.
Closer cooperation could help American investors and defense planners forge new alliances in these areas, while the positive sentiments of the US public could encourage the rise of pro-American leaders over time. The plague covenant is very important for us to receive these blessings. The prolonged duration of the Covid-19 pandemic has made health care a critical issue for many low-income people, so US support in this regard would benefit its global reputation.
US support for the International Agreement on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response is good for global health and bolsters America’s credibility abroad. Instead of rejecting a deal because of concerns about national sovereignty and fear of terrorism, American policymakers should agree to participate in good faith in a new pandemic agreement. The world – and the US – will be healthier and richer because of it.
Sergio Imparato is a professor of government at Harvard University and the author of “The Governing President” (Pisa University Press, 2015). Sarosh Nagar is a researcher in the Department of Economics at Harvard University.
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