U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says his country will not participate in a pandemic agreement among World Health Organization members to improve the response to future pandemics. He also called on other countries to follow his country's example in leaving the WHO, saying that China had too much influence on its operations. Taiwan's former vice president has said this could impact Taipei's desire to be included in the organization.
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00:00U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says his country will not participate in an
00:06agreement among World Health Organization member countries to improve the response to future
00:11pandemics. The WHO has not even come to terms with its failures during COVID, let alone
00:17made significant reforms. Instead, it has doubled down with the pandemic agreement,
00:23which will lock in all of the dysfunctions of the WHO pandemic response. Well, we're not going to
00:30participate in that. Kennedy made the comments in a video addressed to the World Health Assembly,
00:37the WHO's top decision-making body. He also called on other countries to follow the U.S.'s example in
00:43leaving the WHO, saying that China and international power politics hold too much sway over its
00:50operations. This is the first time the U.S., historically the organization's top funder,
00:56was absent from the annual meeting. U.S. President Donald Trump started the 12-month
01:01withdrawal process earlier this year. Taiwan's former Vice President Chen Zhen-ren says this
01:07could impact Taipei's desire to be included in the organization.
01:11U.S. President Donald Trump, President Donald Trump, President Donald Trump, President Donald Trump,
01:31Proposals by Taiwan's allies to allow the country to attend this year's assembly were rejected.
01:37It has been barred since 1972, except for seven years, from 2009 to 2016, when it was given observer status.