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https://theconversation.com/who-membership-doesnt-threaten-nzs-sovereignty-walking-away-from-it-would-274844>
"When NZ First leader Winston Peters responded to the recent US withdrawal from
the World Health Organization (WHO) by questioning whether New Zealand should
continue funding it, he employed a familiar narrative.
Peters was not speaking in his capacity as foreign minister, but describing the
WHO as an organisation full of “unelected globalist bureaucrats” nonetheless
plays into fears that New Zealand’s membership is a risk to national
sovereignty.
The rhetoric mirrors wider international narratives that frame global health
cooperation as a threat to national interests.
But such fears are misplaced.
The WHO is a global advisory body and cannot override New Zealand law. No WHO
instrument has any legal force in New Zealand unless it passes through a
domestic implementation process like any other international treaty.
In practice, that means decisions are made in Wellington, through Cabinet and
Parliament – not in Geneva.
The most recent amendments to the WHO’s international health regulations
explicitly preserve national decision-making flexibility. The pandemic
agreement, adopted by the World Health Assembly last year, does the same.
Even during the COVID pandemic, WHO guidance remained advisory. Countries
deviated constantly. New Zealand adopted measures stricter than WHO baselines
in its elimination strategy by choice. Sovereignty was not lost in 2020. It was
exercised."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
