Contribution to ‘EJIL:Talk!’ on Legal Issues related to the Preparation to Pandemics

The prestigious blog ‘EJIL:Talk!’ of the European Journal of International Law hosted a contribution by Prof. Giulio Bartolini on ‘Are You Ready for a Pandemic? The International Health Regulations Put to the Test of Their ‘Core Capacity Requirements’.

The entry critically analysed obligations imposed by the 2005 World Health Organizations International Health Regulations in relation to preparedness measures to be adopted by States to guarantee their capacity to detect, assess, notify and report events in accordance with these Regulations (art. 5), and to respond promptly and effectively to public health risks and public health emergencies of international concern (art. 5). Unfortunately the very large majority of States have failed to adopt concrete measures to comply with such obligations and such shortcomings have been magnified by the current Covid-19 which has dramatically tested States’ (un)preparedness.