Lauterbach's WHO post: Political failure or new opportunities?

Lauterbach's WHO post: Political failure or new opportunities?

Deutschland - On June 11, 2025, Karl Lauterbach's appointment as a special representative for climate change in the World Health Organization (WHO) was sharply criticized. Gerald Hauser, EU member of the FPÖ, commented on this decision and described Lauterbach as a "polarizing person". He noted that the WHO may instrumentalize the topic of climate change in order to prepare a health emergency similar to the Covid 19 pandemic. Hauser accused Lauterbach and the traffic light coalition of appointing failed politicians in international offices, and referred to the discharge of a vaccination expert committee in the United States by Minister of Health Kennedy.

In the debate about Lauterbach's role during the Covid 19 pandemic, Hauser also addressed the misleading information that Lauterbach spread about the vaccinations. There was special criticism of his claim that the closures of schools did not lead to an increase in mental disorders in children. Hauser found that Lauterbach has no expertise in the area of climate change or environmental policy and saw the appointment as an indication that political ideology and influence were more important than technical qualifications.

memories of pandemic

The reactions to Lauterbach's appointment also take a look back at the challenges of Covid 19 pandemic. A man reported the inhuman conditions, some of which were in care facilities when dying. The high mortgages in these facilities at the beginning of pandemic were also reported, whereby Germany had comparatively fewer deaths in the first wave than many other European countries. The drastic measures to contain the virus were characterized as double -edged: they protected from high mortgages, but led to considerable suffering for the people concerned.

Experience during pandemic can also be classified in the context of the international pandemic agreement. In the future, this agreement is intended to determine regulations for pandemic prevention, prevention and reaction. The aim is to develop a guideline for the Member States in order to strengthen recessive capacities for early detection and prevention. The Member States' meetings are supported by the WHO secretariat, whereby the content is determined exclusively by the countries themselves.

look into the future

For the international pandemic agreement, it is crucial that collective measures to combat pandemics are legally binding - a step that is also intensively discussed by Germany and other Member States. The political will of the international community is of the utmost importance in order to be prepared together against future pandemics. The current developments, such as Lauterbach's new appointment, raise questions about whether the political priorities are in the right relationship with the necessary specialist knowledge.