Legal
Laws and regulations should make epidemic prevention and response more effective—not slow it down.
The challenge
The solution
The impact
Legal strategy in action
Our strategies for epidemic prevention
Explore
12 characteristics of an effective public health emergency law
Our guide supports policymakers to design effective public health laws and legal frameworks. (PDF)
The amended international health regulations: Implications and challenges for domestic legal frameworks
Our paper highlights how recent IHR amendments strengthen multisectoral coordination and subnational action to improve national health security.
In depth
How the right laws and regulations save lives
Robust legal systems protect communities from the devastating impacts of epidemics by providing governments with the authority and flexibility needed to:
- Respond swiftly and effectively to emergencies
- Maintain preparedness during non-crisis periods
- Coordinate action across multiple sectors
- Balance risk with potential socioeconomic impacts
- Support statutory financing
How we support laws and regulations
Our legal team supports countries in creating, revising and implementing laws that address country-specific contexts and comply with global health security standards.
Our collaborative approach supports governments working to strengthen national and subnational health security legal frameworks. We work with partners to:
- Map and assess
We conduct in-depth evaluations of existing laws identify gaps and barriers that limit effective epidemic prevention and response. - Engage stakeholders
We engage government officials, local lawyers, civil society and community leaders ensures that legal reforms are inclusive, practical and widely supported. - Draft and amend
We provide technical assistance to governments in drafting or amending laws in close partnership with their local counterparts prioritizes clarity, flexibility and alignment with global standards.
Our partners have passed landmark health security bills and demonstrated improvements in their Joint External Evaluation (JEE) and State Party Self-Assessment Annual Reporting (SPAR) scores, reflecting stronger national health security.
