“Together for a Healthier World”: Redesigning Infectious Disease Emergency Surveillance, Alert and Response (SAR) Systems at the World Health Organization (…)

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This document proposes a Conflict Management System (CMS) for the World Health Organization (WHO) to address the challenges of managing Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEICs), such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Blair Veloz and Adam Zemans argue that the current system, particularly the Surveillance, Alert and Response (SAR) mechanisms, is fraught with geopolitical tensions and conflicts of interest, hindering effective international cooperation. The proposed CMS aims to redesign these systems by optimizing cooperation among member states, with a particular focus on mitigating tensions between the United States and China. The document includes a detailed analysis of the WHO's structure, power dynamics, and historical conflicts, as well as a review of existing literature on international health organizations and dispute system design. Based on this analysis, the authors recommend a stakeholder consultative process to address the identified issues and propose potential legislative changes to the International Health Regulations and the WHO Constitution. These changes aim to empower the WHO Executive Board and Emergency Committee to make more independent and timely decisions regarding PHEICs and SAR, thereby improving the organization's ability to prevent and manage global health crises.