This week, David P. Fidler explains why the pandemic treaty proposal that the World Health Organization (WHO) is considering does not threaten Americans' freedoms. In response to a recent Tucker Carlson segment in which the Fox News pundit slammed the WHO and the idea of a pandemic treaty, Fidler writes, "It would need to be one hell of a treaty to transform a small, neglected, and resource-starved international organization into something that could keep life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the United States permanently under its thumb."
After decades of inaction, WHO member states agreed at the recent World Health Assembly to improve the agency's financing model. Alexandra Finch, Kevin A. Klock, Eric A. Friedman, and Lawrence O. Gostin lay out the history of this hard-fought issue and what needs to happen next.
We also feature an interview with a city councilor from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. An Alexis de Tocqueville fan, Gabriel Azevedo describes his passion for democracy, why his symbol is the bike, and empowering people with better transportation systems.
A new piece in our "Young Voices in Global Health" series examines the stark gap in maternal deaths between White and Black women, taking a close-up look at North Carolina's health disparities in this area and new doula-related legislation that could save lives.
As always, thank you for reading, and be well. —Thomas J. Bollyky and Mary Brophy Marcus, Editors
