Editing Implications of the Pandemic, Part 1 (section)

==== Repeated Failures of the WHO ====
It is not contested that though the WHO has had some successes, such as the eradication of smallpox and polio, its failures are a far bigger blot on the history of the organization and draw much criticism. From the Ebola epidemic in West Africa to HIV, the West Nile Virus, the Influenza pandemic, etc. most of the WHO’s efforts have been inadequate in the face of such health crises, whether global or regional. Additionally, both the WHO and the Security Council’s failure to take prompt action of any import during the COVID-19 global health crisis to mitigate the devastating effects of the pandemic have alarmed scholars and observers of international multilateral organizations. The WHO, backed by Chinese donors, failed to acknowledge, let alone hold accountable, the laboratory origins of the COVID virus in Wuhan. Moreover, big tech and media outlets were weaponized for censorship and suppression of free speech and the free exchange of information surrounding the disease, the lockdown measures, and vaccine mandates. The geopolitical tussle between the United States and China took precedence, leading to the collapse of global health governance structures and principles.

As pointed out by Colin Todhunter about the WHO’s actions during COVID-19, in his coverage of the Letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister of Health and Family Welfare from a group of prominent lawyers, doctors and concerned citizens: “The seeds of totalitarianism were [https://dissidentvoice.org/2022/10/free-speech-jacinda-ardern-and-the-tyranny-of-kindness/ clear to see] with Anthony Fauci saying that he is ‘the science’, former New Zealand PM Jacinda Arden declaring the government as the ‘single source of truth’ and social media companies working hand in glove with the deep state to censor and deplatform prominent figures and world-renowned scientists who questioned the official narrative. We saw the suspension of fundamental civil liberties with the threat of state violence on hand, often resulting in citizens being abused by de facto paramilitary police forces for breaching ‘pandemic rules’ that had no scientific basis.”