WASHINGTON, D.C. — The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging nations to support the world’s first pandemic treaty, a legally binding international law meant to help prevent and combat any future pandemics. Some Republicans on Capitol Hill oppose joining the agreement, arguing the current language is not in the best interest of the United States.

The WHO and its 194 member nations have spent more than two years working on an international treaty to address an unknown future pathogen, known as “Disease X.” Officials said because the virus spread across international borders, plans to fight the next pandemic should, too.

“This is about a common enemy and without a common response, starting from the preparedness, we will face the same problems,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said at a Jan. 17 event during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Under the treaty, signatories would set up national, regional and global networks to share information on viruses of concern, including the genomic information of those viruses. There would also be a plan to distribute vaccines and medicines quickly and equitably.

At a hearing on the treaty Feb. 5 Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, who chairs the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, spoke against the treaty. He said it demands too much of its funding from the U.S. and may require U.S. companies to share their proprietary vaccine or treatment formulas with other countries in future pandemics.

“We must ensure that final draft does not violate international sovereignty or infringe upon the rights of the American people or the intellectual property of the United States,” Wenstrup said.

Wenstrup said the WHO is not a responsible steward of an international pandemic response program, underscoring a growing Republican mistrust of international organizations.

“The COVID-19 pandemic showed us that the WHO, the World Health Organization, is not the preeminent global health institution that perhaps it once was,” he said. “Politics should never have a place in science.”

The treaty has two potential paths forward; the Senate can approve it by a two-thirds majority vote or the president can unilaterally approve it in a maneuver known as an executive agreement. If ratified, the treaty would have the force of law.

The WHO is aiming to finalize the treaty by May, when all member states will meet in Geneva for the annual World Health Assembly. A large amount of work remains, with 300 proposed amendments to consider before publishing a final draft.

A spokesperson for the Department of State wrote this statement:

“The United States remains committed to the Pandemic Accord negotiations with the goal of having an agreed text that can be adopted at the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA77) in May 2024. We are seeking the following key outcomes in these negotiations: Securing more rapid, transparent, and accountable early warnings, including sharing of samples and data worldwide; Building a more rapid, equitable, and effective pandemic prevention preparedness and response system, while also strengthening the global health security architecture; and Strengthening Member State commitment and accountability on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR).”