The Problem With The WHO Amendments To The International Health Regulations
The World Health Organization (WHO) has been embroiled in controversy following the recent amendments made to the International Health Regulations (IHR). The WHO plays a critical role in shaping global health policy, responding to health emergencies and advocating for health equity across nations.
The WHO currently has 194 member states. Its key functions and responsibilities include:
- Global Health Leadership: WHO leads international efforts to combat public health issues, provides technical assistance to countries and sets health standards. It coordinates responses to health emergencies and promotes universal health coverage.
- Health Research and Data Collection: The Organization conducts research on various health issues, collects data, and publishes reports to inform policy decisions and health strategies globally.
- Health Promotion and Disease Prevention: WHO’s work includes vaccination campaigns, health education, and initiatives to address both communicable and non communicable diseases. This has helped eradicate diseases like smallpox and in reducing cases of polio.
- Governance and Structure: The WHO is governed by the World Health Assembly (WHA), which consists of representatives from member states. The WHA sets policies, approves budgets and elects the Director-General.
- Funding: The Organization is primarily funded through contributions from member states and private donors. Its budget is currently $6.83 billion.
The International Health Regulations is a legally binding framework established by the WHO to enhance global health security. The aim of the IHR is to prevent or control the international spread of diseases while minimizing interference with international traffic and trade. Some of the Key features of the IHR include:
- Scope and Purpose: The IHR has a focus of providing a public health response to the international spread of disease. They provide prevention, controlling and protective measures against this. The document requires countries to develop and maintain core public health capacities that are necessary for surveillance and response in the event of an outbreak.
- Legal Obligations: The IHR document is binding in 196 countries, including all 194 WHO member states. Countries are required to report specific diseases and any potential public health emergency to the WHO within a certain timeframe. This is to ensure both transparency and an ability to react promptly.
- Global Collaboration: The IHR helps create and foster international cooperation when dealing with health threats. Countries that are not traditional allies recognize that collaborating is crucial if the world is to effectively manage an outbreak of a disease that could potentially threaten the existence of humanity itself.
- Rights and Protections: The IHR includes provisions that are meant to protect the rights of individuals during public health measures, ensuring that actions taken do not unjustly discriminate against travelers or violate personal data rights.
However, during the 2024 World Health Assembly, some amendments to the IHR document raised concerns about national sovereignty, data privacy and the transparency of the amendment process itself.
- Sovereignty Concerns: A major area of concern is the increased powers granted to the WHO Director-General. The amendments propose that the Director General can declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) without needing the agreement of the affected state, potentially allowing the WHO to override national decisions during health crises. This would give the WHO disproportionate control over national public health responses, potentially compromising a country’s sovereignty.
- Data Sharing Privacy: There are apprehensions regarding the potential requirements for countries to share health data, which some fear could negatively impact individual privacy. There may be safeguards for personal data in the IHR, but concerns persist about how those regulations would be implemented and enforced, particularly regarding sharing an individual’s data without their consent.
- Transparency in the Amendment Process: There have been concerns about the transparency of the negotiations that led to the amendments. Critics argue that parties were not adequately informed about the proposed changes before the voting that took place at the World Health Assembly. This undermines trust in the process and the legitimacy of the amendments.
- Implementation Challenges: Despite the amendments being hailed as a step towards better global health governance, many experts believe that they do not adequately address the fundamental issues that had become apparent during the Covid 19 Pandemic. The amendments have been criticized for lacking significant reforms, particularly regarding equity and support for low income countries, which are crucial for the effective implementation of health regulations.
Unless a Head of State writes a letter rejecting them, it will be assumed that any country that is a member of the WHO has accepted these amendments to the International Health Regulations. Countries such as Switzerland, Argentina and Slovenia have already expressed their objections. Others have until April 2025 to reject these changes.
