What was claimed
A World Health Organization (WHO) representative spoke about removing human rights protections through pandemic preparedness plans.
Our verdict
The speaker does not represent the WHO.
It’s being claimed the World Health Organization (WHO) has unveiled plans to remove human rights protections under the guise of pandemic preparedness.
A video being shared on social media claims to show a WHO representative speaking about a new pandemic treaty and changes to the International Health Regulations (IHRs).
This is false. The woman in the video is Meryl Nass, a suspended US doctor who is not speaking on behalf of the organisation.
The claim is made in an Instagram video (screenshot here) shared on November 16 which has been viewed more than 800,000 times.
“Have you heard of the WHO? The World Health Organization. Yeah, yeah. Listen to their intentions and what they have to say that they’re gonna do,” the man in the clip says.
The video then cuts to Dr Nass speaking into a microphone in front of a blue background with a picture of a European Union flag.
“We’re undergoing a soft coup,” she says.
“And the idea is to create a whole new set of laws and ignore the existing human rights laws and other laws, under the pretext of pandemic preparedness and the biosecurity agenda.”
Dr Nass claims the WHO plans to remove human rights protections, enforce digital passports and surveillance, move medical supplies between countries and develop vaccines within 100 days, through a pandemic treaty and amendments to the IHRs.
Other versions of the claim can be seen here, here, here, here and here.
The clip of Dr Nass is from her speaking at a pandemic and vaccine sceptics conference in May 2023 called the International Covid Summit III, held at the European Parliament building in Brussels.
Dr Nass is a physician whose licence was suspended in 2022 by the Maine Board of Licensure for spreading misinformation about COVID-19.
Other speakers at the Brussels summit included David Martin and Ryan Cole, who have previously spread false claims debunked by AAP FactCheck here and here.
A spokesperson for the WHO told USA Today that Dr Nass does not represent the organisation and that her speech made various false statements and accusations.
Her claims focus on a voluntary treaty drafted by the WHO, which aims to establish global guidelines for how nations prevent and respond to future pandemics.
The treaty is yet to be ratified and will continue to be debated and revised at meetings before WHO member countries vote on a final version at the World Health Assembly in 2024.
The draft version of the treaty says it aims to promote equity, human rights, and solidarity to achieve universal health coverage that will recognise the sovereign rights of countries (page 8).
Article 4 says the treaty should be implemented “with full respect for the dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons, and each Party shall protect and promote such freedoms” (page 10).
AAP FactCheck previously explained the treaty specifically states member nations will retain sovereignty over all health decisions.
In the video, Dr Nass also mentions the IHRs, a legally binding agreement between 196 countries to detect and report worldwide public health emergencies.
The WHO is currently undertaking a review of the IHRs following the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 300 amendments proposed by various countries.
Professor Anthony Zwi, a global health and policy expert at the University of NSW, previously told AAP FactCheck the WHO has no power or ability to intervene within any country's public health measures.
The claim that Dr Nass is a WHO representative has been debunked by other fact-checking organisations here, here, here, here and here.
The Verdict
The claim a WHO representative spoke about removing human rights protections through pandemic preparedness plans is false.
The speaker, Dr Meryl Nass, was suspended by US health authorities for spreading COVID-19 misinformation and does not represent the WHO.
WHO member states are collectively drafting a pandemic treaty that aims to create global guidelines for how nations prevent and respond to future pandemics. A draft version of that document says the treaty would promote human rights.
False — The claim is inaccurate.
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