Health for All—Between Order and Freedom

On the WHO Pandemic Agreement negotiations, Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM), and anthroposophical commitment to public health. A commentary by the Medical Section.

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With both interest and skepticism, many people are following the WHO negotiations on the revision of the International Health Regulations (IHR) and the Pandemic Agreement. The co-workers of the Medical Section have been working to stay updated on the procedures and outcomes with the conviction that the right of individuals to make free and informed decisions about their own medical care is a core value. It’s also important to offer medicine that recognizes each individual as a being of body, soul, and spirit. This stands at the heart of our work. If it were possible to directly contribute to the WHO negotiation processes between countries, we would emphatically push for both these aspects! It is important for us to advocate for medicine that focuses on healing rather than symptom suppression, that recognizes and appreciates many healing methods (remedies that draw from the natural world, including plants, minerals and animals; as well artistic therapies, body therapies, counseling, specialized nursing treatments, eurythmy, etc.), and that understands that working with illness is a developmental process that plays out on both a physical and spiritual level.

While that kind of language is difficult to find in the IHR and Pandemic Agreement, we are happy to report that many of those elements are now actually incorporated into the 10-year strategy plan for the very small part of the WHO dedicated to Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine (see below). This is a place where an anthroposophic voice has been heard and was able to contribute in unexpected ways.

We have the impression that the final documents in the WHO negotiations do not include major mandates or power shifts away from individual countries. Instead, the wording is often open, leaving many things to be decided on the national level. There is a lot of room for interpretation and implementation. As we saw during the time of COVID, different governments reacted in very different ways. This will likely still be true in the future.

On the Negotiations and Documents

In a previous article, we published information, concerns, and questions from the Medical Section about the WHO International Health Regulations (IHR).[1] This included concerns, especially around the term “pandemic emergency,” which is designated to cover both an actual pandemic as well as the risk of one. The IHR negotiations finished, and the regulations were approved in 2024. They will take effect starting in September 2025.

This text is an excerpt from an article published in the (online exclusive) Goetheanum Weekly. You can read the full article on the website. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can get to know the Goetheanum Weekly for 1 CHF./€.

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