Today, it marks a turning point in global health management as changes to international health regulations (IHR) enter into force. This reflects the renewed global commitment to cooperate despite the emergency of public health, shaped by hard-to-acquired pandemic pandemic lessons.
IHR are global regulations that run 196 countries, including all Member States 194, about their rights and obligations concerning the risk of public health. They recognize that infectious diseases and other public health risks do not respect the boundaries and that the coordinated global activity is crucial.
IHR origin can be traced by 19 Century, when the expansion of travel and trade accelerated the spread of the disease from the port to the port, which prompted the introduction of quarantine measures. Initially, they managed bilateral and regional contracts, these efforts became global according to international sanitary regulations in 1951 after the founding of WHO. These regulations were later renamed IHR and have since developed to fulfill the variable landscape of global health.
2023. Member States adopted by Amendments with a consensus in the seventy -seventh -seventh health care assembly in Geneva. One of the changes is the introduction of a new level of global warning – “Emergency Pandemic Pandem” – to initiate stronger international cooperation when health risk escalates outside the emergency public health than international concern (PHEIC) and is the risk of becoming or has already become, pandemic, with a wide impact on the health care system and disorder in social networks. Amendments also introduce the establishment of national IHR authorities by the Government to coordinate IHR implementation and include provisions for strengthening access to medical products and financing based on capital and solidarity.
These changes were encouraged by lessons learned during the Pandemia Coid-19. The latest major audits were adopted in 2005 after the outbreak of SARS.
“The strengthening of international health regulations is a historical commitment to protect future generations from the devastating influence of epidemics and pandemic,” said Director General of Dr. Tedro Adhanoma Ghebreyesus. “We know that no one is sure until everyone is sure. IHR changes are confirmed by our common responsibility and solidarity despite global health risks.”
In addition to the changed IHR, the Member States also adopted the WHO pandemia agreement at this year’s World Health Assembly and actively negotiate an attachment to an approach to the pathogen approach and division of benefits.
States have sovereign right to implement laws associated with health policies. Under IHR, which serves as a secretariat, without the authority of forcing action by countries.
Eleven of the 1960 IHR states rejected Amendments in 2024. For them, the previous versions of IHR continues to apply, although rejection can be withdrawn at any time. Who will support the IHR state parties, as requested, in integrating amendments to regulations in national legal frameworks and strengthening institutional capacities to work together to build a safer, healthier future for everyone.
IHR text, changed and supplemented in 2024, was published on WHO. Currently available in English, text in other official languages will be published in the coming days.
