The Impact of the World Health Organization on International Business

Guillermo Alejandro Zaragoza Alvarado, Yanet Domínguez Albear and Ynosencia Merejo Medrano
Additional contact information
Guillermo Alejandro Zaragoza Alvarado: Universidad Virtual del Estado de Guanajuato Guanajuato – México
Yanet Domínguez Albear: Universidad de Ciencias Pedagógicas “Enrique José Varona”, La Habana, Cuba
Ynosencia Merejo Medrano: Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación, Escuela de Formación Infantil y Básica. Santo Domingo, República Dominicana

Diginomics, 2026, vol. 5, 243

Abstract: The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken on a central role in the indirect regulation of international business. This article analyzes the WHO's impact on global trade, considering its role in issuing regulations, certifications, and recommendations during health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The methodology employed is qualitative and documentary, based on the analysis of academic sources, technical reports, and international treaties. The results reveal that the WHO influences trade agreements, indirectly regulates supply chains through health standards, and promotes emerging sectors such as digital health and biotechnology. However, it also faces criticism for its financial dependence, slow response, and the inequalities its guidelines generate in countries with less technological capacity. It is concluded that the WHO is a key regulatory actor in the global economy, whose legitimacy and effectiveness depend on institutional reforms that balance state sovereignty and international cooperation.

Keywords: certifications; international trade; health governance; WHO; pandemic; regulations; public health; trade agreements (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://diginomics.ar/index.php/digi/article/view/243 Abstract page (text/html)
https://diginomics.ar/index.php/digi/article/download/243/144 Full text (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cwg:digino:v:5:y:2026:id:243

DOI: 10.56294/digi2026243

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Diginomics from Centro de Estudios de Economía Digital
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Prof. Carlos Alberto Gómez Cano ().