The Review Committee on the Functioning of the International Health Regulations (2005) during the COVID-19 Response has published its findings today. The Committee sought to answer key questions relating to the functioning of the IHR during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as what did and did not work in the implementation of the IHR, and whether the shortcomings were due solely to a lack of proper implementation of, and compliance with, the IHR, or whether the issues lay in the IHR themselves.

The Review Committee was convened by the WHO Director-General on 8 September 2020, at the request of Member States in resolution WHA73.1, in line with Article 50 of the IHR. It conducted its work from September 2020 to April 2021 and coordinated its work with that of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme and the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

The Review Committee has presented 40 recommendations in 10 key areas as well as 8 key messages on global health emergency preparedness and response which are detailed in the report. The Review Committee’s recommendations point to a number of elements that require reinforcement or modification, emphasizing that the main objective of the Regulations is the protection of health. The report notes that the Committee’s recommendations should be implemented without delay, however, it is for States Parties to decide which recommendations they will take forward and how.

The Committee’s report will be presented at the upcoming 74th session of the World Health Assembly to be held 24 May – 1 June 2021 and will inform actions for WHO and Member States to improve the functioning of the IHR for global health emergency preparedness and response.

About WHO

The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.