The WHO's Governance of Public Health Emergencies of International Concern: Implications for Travellers from a Human Rights Perspective
Type
dissertation project
Start Date
September 1, 2007
End Date
August 1, 2008
Status
ongoing
Keywords
Public Health Emergencies of International Concern
WHO
Travellers
Human Right to Health
Human Rights
Description
Through increasing international travel, any highly contagious pathogen could precipitate a global public health emergency, affecting the fate of millions of people, the security of states while causing severe economic repercussion. The sudden outbreak of SARS exemplified this threat in 2003. Therefore, the role of travellers is decisive upon the success of global disease containment strategies.
Internationally, the World Health Organization (WHO) is entrusted with the global mandate on health governance and thus adopted a revised version of the "International Health Regulations" (IHR) in 2005, which entered into force June 2007. This legally binding document is ground-breaking because it is applicable to all "Public Health Emergencies of International Concern" and is founded upon the premise of human rights, in particular emphasizing the rights of travellers.
The main findings will try to balance a high level of global health security and the concerns of travellers, as required according to the IHR and universal human rights law, through benchmarking the human right to health.
Internationally, the World Health Organization (WHO) is entrusted with the global mandate on health governance and thus adopted a revised version of the "International Health Regulations" (IHR) in 2005, which entered into force June 2007. This legally binding document is ground-breaking because it is applicable to all "Public Health Emergencies of International Concern" and is founded upon the premise of human rights, in particular emphasizing the rights of travellers.
The main findings will try to balance a high level of global health security and the concerns of travellers, as required according to the IHR and universal human rights law, through benchmarking the human right to health.
Leader contributor(s)
Ruspekhofer, Silvia
Funder
Notes
Research at Georgetown University Law Center (The Center for Law and the Public's Health)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
38247