REFORMING GLOBAL HEALTH LAW
The World Health Organization, the Pandemic Treaty and the International Health Regulations:
challenges and opportunities
16 January 2025, 4:00pm - 5:30pm, Singapore
(Venue to be confirmed)
ABOUT THIS TALK
The Covid-19 pandemic exposed numerous vulnerabilities and inadequacies in the international legal system. To address the "not fit for purpose" international system, World Health Organization (WHO) member states embarked on two reform processes in 2021 and 2022: amending the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) and negotiating a new "WHO convention, agreement, or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response" (pandemic treaty). Given previous hesitation and unsuccessful attempts to negotiate global health treaties and amend the IHR, many people in the international community were skeptical, but at the 77th World Health Assembly (June 2024), member states adopted amendments to the Regulations, claiming a victory for multilateralism. These amendments are expected to go into effect in September 2025.
In contrast, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), which has been tasked with negotiating the pandemic treaty, has been unable to reach an agreement, and negotiations have been extended until the 78th World Health Assembly in May-June 2025. The treaty aims to promote greater equity and solidarity in global preparedness and response and better equip the world to prevent and respond effectively to future pandemics, but many of the issues are contentious, with the Global North prioritizing prevention and security and the Global South prioritizing equity and distributive justice. The results of the recent US elections are also expected to have a significant impact on the negotiations, as well as potential reservations to the amendments to the IHR.
Prof. Gian Luc Burci will discuss the WHO reform process, IHR amendments, and the pandemic treaty negotiations in the context of a challenging geopolitical context.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Prof. Gian Luca Burci is one of the world’s leading global health law experts. He has over thirty years of experience in academia and international organizations. He is currently a Senior Visiting Professor of international law at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, where he also serves as Academic Adviser of its Global Health Centre and directs the joint LL.M. program in Global Health Law and Governance in collaboration with Georgetown University Law Center. Previously, Prof. Burci held the position of Legal Counsel of the World Health Organization (2005-2016) and served as legal officer in the Office of the Legal Counsel of the United Nations (1989-1998). His many achievements include supporting the Security Council's action against Iraq (1990-1998), negotiating the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and a complete revision of the International Health Regulations (2005). He has published extensively, and his work has had a very significant impact on the field of global health law.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR
A/Prof. Ayelet Berman is Lead of CIL’s Global Health Law and Governance Program. The Global Health Program focuses on research, teaching, capacity building and convening experts and stakeholders in the field. Previously she was Senior Research Fellow in the International Investment Law & Policy Group and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the NUS Faculty of Law.
Other past academic appointments include Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Trade and Economic Integration at the Graduate Institute in Geneva and Visiting Professor at the University of Lausanne. Prior to entering academia, Dr Berman practiced law in the field of World Trade Organization (WTO) litigation at Sidley LLP (Geneva), and regulatory and commercial law at Herzog, Fox & Neeman (Tel Aviv).
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