In a new article for BMJ Global Health, RTSL senior legal advisor Cédric Aperce and the University of Ottawa’s Roojin Habibi discuss new amendments to the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR), the legally binding agreement that requires countries to detect and report global health threats to the World Health Organization. First agreed upon at the June 2024 World Health Assembly, the amendments took effect on September 19 and were designed to address common barriers—weak intersectoral collaboration, limited access to information systems and insufficient authority to report public health events to WHO—to IHR compliance. They have tremendous potential to strengthen global preparedness and response to health emergencies, but political support and technical guidance will be critical.
