Rockefeller Foundation partners with WHO to tackle 'climate-aggravated' pandemics

"Broadening surveillance" is listed as one of the many goals the two organizations are looking to fulfill.

Published: May 25, 2023 2:04pm

The World Health Organization and The Rockefeller Foundation have officially teamed up to address “pandemics fueled by climate change.”

The Rockefeller Foundation, which touts “scaling renewable energy for all” as one of its core missions, announced the WHO partnership this week in a press release titled: “The Rockefeller Foundation and World Health Organization Announce Partnership To Expand Global Pandemic Preparedness in Era of Climate Change.” 

In the announcement, the nonprofit said the joint effort is focused on “strengthen[ing] the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence” by investing $5 million for, among other things, “broadening surveillance for diseases worsened by rising temperatures and extreme weather.”

Both the WHO and The Rockefeller Foundation are well known for their progressive leanings on matters like green energy and climate change, with ties to left-wing billionaires such as George Soros and Bill Gates.

Writing in the press release, the WHO’s Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu said the Covid-19 outbreak “underscored that disease surveillance, collaboration between stakeholders, and data sharing were absolutely essential ingredients for health security,” adding that the “global community” was not prepared for the pandemic.

Claiming “increasing threats” are arising due to “climate change,” Ihekweazu also touted that the two organizations will birth a “new era of global collaboration in pandemic intelligence.”

The release goes on to detail that The Rockefeller Foundation will specifically support the WHO’s pandemic/epidemic department projects, such as:

  • Scaling global capacity for genomic surveillance through the newly launched International Pathogen Surveillance Network
  • “Developing a digital platform” to further “communication and collaboration between public health analysts and researchers”
  • “Developing user-centered product strategies” so the WHO can “better support global public health agencies”
  • “Improving outbreak detection” via Global.health 

The Rockefeller Foundation President Dr. Rajiv Shah expressed enthusiasm over the partnership, describing it as the next step to “preventing pandemics fueled by climate change.”

There is a growing skepticism in Congress over U.S. participation in the WHO. Sixteen members of the U.S. House recently called for the U.S. to withdraw from the organization, citing concerns about its ties to Communist China and its potential encroachment on U.S. sovereignty.

Follow Addison on Twitter.

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