Japan protest resurfaces false claims about COVID-19 and WHO pandemic treaty

Vaccine opponents, posting in both English and Spanish, are sharing images of a Japan protest against the World Health Organization’s pandemic treaty, resurfacing conspiracy theories about the pandemic and falsely claiming that the treaty means that countries will lose sovereignty and freedom.  

Recommendation: False claims about the World Health Organization’s pandemic treaty have circulated for several years now. These types of posts may promote distrust in guidance from government and public health officials. It’s unlikely that health departments would need to directly debunk this claim, but if necessary talking points could explain that the treaty is meant for collective pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response—and that it does not authorize WHO to dictate pandemic response in any country or grant it authority over a country’s policies. Additional messaging may emphasize that the treaty is still a draft in the final stages of negotiation; it has not been finalized or ratified yet.