- The WHA generally meet every year in May in Geneva at the Palace of Nations, the location of WHO Headquarters.
- The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the forum through which the World Health Organization (WHO) is governed by its 194 member states.
- It is the world’s highest policy-setting body and is composed of health ministers from member states.
- A package of amendments to the International Health Regulations, based on 300 proposals made by member countries after the pandemic, will be on the agenda.
- The International Health Regulations (IHR), first adopted by the WHA in 1969 and last revised in 2005, were conceived to maximise collective efforts to manage public health events while minimising disruption to travel and trade.
- There are 196 State Parties to the IHR, comprising all 194 WHO Member States plus Liechtenstein and the Holy See.
- The IHR provides an overarching legal framework that defines countries’ rights and obligations in emergencies that have the potential to cross borders.
- They also introduce important safeguards to protect the rights of travellers and other persons concerning the treatment of personal data, informed consent and non-discrimination in the application of health measures under the Regulations.
- Therefore, the IHR is an instrument of international law that is legally binding on 196 countries.
- The IHR requires that all countries have surveillance systems capable of detecting acute public health events promptly.
- A potential new Pandemic Accord and the amended IHRs would be complementary to international instruments designed and negotiated by Members.
Dig Deeper: Read about the PRET (Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats ) Initiative of the WHO to prevent future pandemics.
