WHO pandemic treaty 'equity theater,' Pence advocacy group says, urges US withdraw from 'unsalvageable body'
The non-profit advocacy group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence published a letter Tuesday blasting the proposed World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic treaty, questioning the United States' continued membership in the international body.
Pence's non-profit, Advancing American Freedom (AAF), is urging the U.S. government to withdraw from the WHO, citing the "equity theater" of the guidelines and its implications for free speech contained in its "pandemic treaty."
"The [WHO] proposal to consolidate power and erode the United States of America of its sovereignty through the WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty is untenable and raises serious and significant questions regarding America’s independence of action and ability to respond to global pandemics," the letter from the AAF stated.
WHO DIRECTOR CALLS FOR WORLD PANDEMIC TREATY TO PREPARE FOR DISEASE X
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus has called on countries to sign on to the health organization’s pandemic treaty so the world can prepare for "Disease X."
Disease X is a "placeholder" virus that does not exist but could hypothetically emerge and threaten international health. It was added to the WHO’s short list of pathogens for research in 2017 that could cause a "serious international epidemic," according to a 2022 WHO press release.
Ghebreyesus, speaking in front of an audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, said that he hoped countries would reach a pandemic agreement by May to address this hypothetical "common enemy."
The AAF points out that the treaty — ostensibly intended to save lives through international prioritization of the best medical practices — emphasizes race and "equity" before almost every other value in its "general principles and approaches."
"The draft treaty, released on October 30, 2023, uses the word 'equity' at least 9 times and 'equitable' at least 20 times," the AAF writes. "It presents ‘equity’ as its 3rd general principle, ahead of responsibility, transparency, accountability, and science and evidence – principles that are magnitudes more important than ‘equity’ during a global pandemic."
The AAF also warned about articles in the treaty related to freedom of expression, with one article specifically calling on signing nations to "combat false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation, including through effective international collaboration and cooperation."
The proposed treaty would also give the WHO control of international supply chains in the event of another pandemic event, intended to allow more efficient manipulation of resources.
"The United States should withdraw from the World Health Organization, not further enmesh itself in an unsalvageable body that rejects American leadership in favor of the Chinese Communist Party’s quest for world domination," the AAF letter said of the proposed treaty. "The Trump-Pence Administration was right to cut off American tax dollars to, and to formally withdraw from the WHO."
The deadline for the proposed treaty is May 2024, when the World Health Assembly is slated to meet.
Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.