"I'd like to talk about something incredibly important that hinges on this election because our main story concerns...the World Health Organization."
Thank you @LastWeekTonight for addressing the importance of @WHO to #GlobalHealth & the #COVID19 response.

Where the US has consistently sought to deflect blame for its failure to control #COVID19 onto @WHO, @iamjohnoliver reminds viewers of the real #PublicHealth damage caused by Trump Administration efforts to withdraw from #GlobalHealthGovernance.

Examining US legal authority to withdraw from @WHO, Oliver recognizes that the US alone has the authority to withdraw from WHO, but asks “why would we want the right to do that in the first place, and — more to the point — why would we ever consider actually doing it”?!?

@iamjohnoliver explains the absurdity of the Trump Administration withdrawal from @WHO using a metaphor that I cannot repeat on my Twitter feed but by itself deserves an Emmy Award.

Given the cataclysmic #GlobalHealth ramifications, @iamjohnoliver considers:
* how important @WHO's work is,
* how valid US criticisms are &
* what the Trump Administration is putting at risk.
This episode will be crucial for explaining the stakes of #Election2020 .

In focusing on the importance of @WHO in #GlobalHealthLaw, @LastWeekTonight begins with the promise & limitations of WHO legal authorities:
"One of the biggest powers it has is the ability to declare a public health emergency of international concern & issue recommendations...."

...but — and this is really important — it has absolutely no power on its own to enforce those recommendations."
This comedic critique of #GlobalHealthLaw will provide crucial support for the effort to strengthen @WHO authorities in revising the International Health Regulations.

Drawing attention to the @WHO effort to eradicate #Smallpox, @iamjohnoliver gives a one-minute masterclass on WHO's international health diplomacy to coordinate national efforts at the height of the Cold War AND current efforts to coordinate #Flu vaccines under the #PIPFramework.

Oliver concludes that @WHO "does vitally important work for shockingly little money":
"a critical role as a central clearinghouse of information, conducting investigations & releasing information to the public and it does all of this on a current budget of $2.4 billion a year...”

Oliver recognizes that @WHO has faced criticism for some of its past efforts, but concludes that “the truth is, for Trump, past performance isn’t really the issue.”
It’s about the difficulty of #GlobalHealth cooperation for someone with a “zero sum” view of #InternationalAffairs.

The masterclass continues:
@iamjohnoliver makes understandable the discrepancy between “assessed” and “voluntary” state contributions to the @WHO, critical of US efforts under Reagan to underfund WHO & then twist the #GlobalHealth agenda through voluntary funding streams.

It is inspiring to see such a detailed understanding of the difficulties of #GlobalHealthDiplomacy for @WHO given its universal state membership — recognizing the importance of working with China in a #Pandemic response to achieve #GlobalHealth goals.

@iamjohnoliver concludes that there is no U.S.-led alternative that can accomplish what @WHO can in working with countries.
A crucial defense of #GlobalHealthGovernance to achieve #GlobalSolidarity in a divided world.

Quoting @davidnabarro, @iamjohnoliver argues that U.S. efforts to withdraw from @WHO during a #Pandemic is like taking the fire engines away in the middle of fighting a fire. (You will hear that metaphor a lot in the coming weeks.)