Good Riddance to the World Health Organization

by Gordon G. Chang • July 13, 2020 at 5:00 am

China was malicious, and there is plenty of evidence of planning.
"Whether WHO can reform effectively is directly tied to the accountability issue," wrote Dr. Xiaoxu Sean Lin, former lab director of the viral disease branch of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, to Gatestone. The structure of the organization defeats accountability he argues, because its leaders report to many member states and therefore to no one. As a result, unacceptable conduct goes unpunished.
To make matters worse, the WHO is a UN body, and the UN is composed of some of the world's most malign actors. Accountability in such an organization is extremely unlikely as long as China, for instance, is considered a legitimate participant in issues of global concern, such as public health.
America should have forced a review of the WHO years ago, but the religion of multilateralism dies hard. We can be sure that the forces of "one worldism" will be working with Director-General Tedros to keep the U.S. in his organization.
No, President Trump, abandoning a dangerous organization, is giving the world a chance to succeed and save lives.

World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, whose role in covering up three outbreaks of cholera in Ethiopia had already made him suspect, was elected to his current position thanks to a massive effort by China, and he will almost certainly continue to allow China to dictate his actions. Pictured: Tedros pays a visit to Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on January 28, 2020. (Photo by Naohiko Hatta/AFP via Getty Images)

A tearful Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday pleaded for international cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus. "The COVID-19 pandemic is a test of global solidarity and global leadership," said the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO). "The virus thrives on division, but is thwarted when we unite."

At the same time, Tedros publicly thanked Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand, and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president Liberia, for agreeing to serve as co-chairs of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

It is no surprise the embattled Tedros has been active in recent days. He has, after all, begun what is a long-term campaign to keep his organization going. The Trump administration gave formal notice to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday that the United States was withdrawing from the WHO. The withdrawal is scheduled to take effect July 6, 2021.

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