WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week at the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, the Biden administration’s attempt to present 13 proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) that would empower the World Health Organization (WHO) to unilaterally declare a “public health emergency” for any reason, failed miserably.
None of Joe Biden’s 13 proposed amendments were adopted by the WHO. Rather than reducing the time frame, as Biden sought, the delegates agreed to extend the time for a member nation to reject an amendment from 9 to 10 months. The current 24-month time to implement a regulation after entry into force of an amendment remains the same.
A “Working Group on IHR Amendments” (WGIHR) has been established and there are upcoming meetings scheduled to continue the process of discussing proposed IHR amendments. The timelines for IHR amendments and a new Pandemic Treaty are as follows:
