International Health Regulations

The International Health Regulations (IHR) are a binding World Health Organization framework requiring countries to detect, assess, report, and respond to public health risks that may cross borders.

Public Health Emergency of International Concern: A formal WHO determination that an extraordinary event poses a public health risk to other states through international spread and may require a coordinated response. The IHR define the criteria and process for declaring this highest-level international alert.
World Health Organization: The United Nations’ specialized agency responsible for international public health. WHO administers the IHR and receives notifications from countries.
International Sanitary Conferences: A series of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century meetings where states negotiated common measures against cross-border infectious disease. They established the diplomatic lineage of international disease-control rules.
COVID-19 pandemic: The global outbreak of COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, that began in 2019 and was characterized by WHO as a pandemic in March 2020. The response exposed both the value and practical limits of IHR notification and coordination.
National IHR Focal Point: A designated national center, available at all times, that communicates with WHO about IHR notifications and consultations. It is the required channel between each country and WHO under the Regulations.
International law: The body of rules and principles governing relations among states and other international actors. The IHR are a treaty-based instrument within this broader legal system.
International Sanitary Convention of 1892: An agreement among European states that established sanitary controls against cholera on maritime routes. It was an early treaty predecessor to the IHR’s system of international notification.
WHO Pandemic Agreement: A WHO-negotiated international agreement adopted in 2025 to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. It is a separate instrument developed alongside debate over how the IHR should address future pandemics.
WHO IHR Emergency Committee: A group of international experts that advises the WHO Director-General on whether an event is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and on temporary recommendations. Its advice informs the Director-General’s emergency declaration and response guidance.
Treaty: A written agreement governed by international law and made between states or other subjects of international law. The IHR bind states through their status as an international legal instrument.

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