Declaring a Public Health Emergency of International Concern

Between International Law and Politics

Eccleston-Turner, Mark, Wenham, Clare, Mark Eccleston-Turner, Clare Wenham

• Publisher: Bristol University Press
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9781529219333
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781529219340
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Globalisation
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Amid a global health crisis, the process for declaring a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is at a crossroads.

As a formal declaration by the World Health Organization, a PHEIC is governed by clear legislation as to what is, and what is not, deemed a global health security threat. However, it has become increasingly politicized, and the legal criteria now appear to be secondary to the political motivation or outcome of the announcement. Addressing multiple empirical case studies, including COVID-19, this multidisciplinary book explores the relationship between international law and international relations to interrogate how a PHEIC is declared and its role in how we collectively respond to outbreaks.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Table of Instruments
• List of Figures
• Notes on the Authors
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• One From Westphalian to Post-Westphalian? The Origins of the PHEIC Declaration and the 2005 International Health Regulations
• Two A Public Health Emergency of International Concern: Between Legal Obligations and Political Reality
• Three Case Studies on the PHEIC Declaration
• Four Events That Were Not Declared a PHEIC
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index