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The CIL Global Health Law and Governance Program focuses on research, teaching, capacity building and convening in the field of global health law and governance.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, global health law and governance has emerged as a new topic of priority for international law. Global health law encompasses the legally binding and non-binding rules which regulate or impact public health such as the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the International Health Regulations (IHR) or the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases. It covers public health topics such as the prevention and management of infectious diseases (e.g. COVID-19, influenza), non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes and cancer), antibiotic resistance, or the regulation of foods and medicines. Global health governance has emerged as a field which is composed of a diverse set of formal and informal organizations as well as public and private actors. While the World Health Organization (WHO) remains central, private foundations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, multi-stakeholder partnerships such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria or private actors such as Pfizer play critical roles. Global health law also intersects with other fields of international law, including international trade law (e.g. export restrictions on medical goods or intellectual property rights protected under the TRIPS Agreement and their impact on access to medicines), international investment law (e.g. the Philip Morris vs. Uruguay case regarding tobacco plain packaging), international environmental law (e.g. the impact of climate change on health) and international human rights law (e.g. the right to health).
The unprecedented health and economic crisis engendered by the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a number of weaknesses and gaps in the existing global legal system. Yet in the current geopolitical atmosphere and in view of the weakening of the multilateral order, any reform attempts are bound to meet with significant challenges. The Global Health Law and Governance program seeks to contribute to the ongoing debates on these current issues. We would love to hear from you! If you’re interested to learn more about the program or are interested in collaborating with us, please contact Dr. Ayelet Berman, Lead of the Global Health Law and Governance Program at cilayel@nus.edu.sg.
Publications
‘Closing the Compliance Gap: From Soft to Hard Monitoring Mechanisms under the International Health Regulations’ (forthcoming)
‘When Crisis Meets Preparation and Discipline: Singapore’s Successful Response to COVID-19’ (forthcoming)
Featured In the Media
‘Coronavirus: what China’s decision to join the WHO’s vaccine scheme means’ South China Morning Post (9 October 2020)
Events