Does the World Health Organization have the Powers it Needs to Fulfil its Objective (as Set Out in Article 1 of its Constitution) – ‘the Attainment by All Peoples of the Highest Possible Level of Health’? If not, What Additional Powers does it Need, and How Might it Gain Them?

Ke Li ()
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Ke Li: University of Melbourne

A chapter in Proceedings of the 2025 10th International Conference on Social Sciences and Economic Development (ICSSED 2025), 2025, pp 779-785 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Since its creation, WHO once overcame geopolitical distractions and made prominent achievements in global public health, such as the SARS epidemic and the eradication of smallpox, and has played a leading role in global health governance. However, during COVID-19, WHO exposed its lack of power. While Article 2 grants the WHO normative and advisory powers, its authority remains constrained by state sovereignty, voluntary compliance, and funding dependencies. The organization lacks binding enforcement mechanisms to ensure member states adhere to health regulations. It does not have the power to achieve its goal, which is ‘the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health’ in Article 1 of the Constitution of the World Health Organization. If it is to fulfill its objective, it needs to acquire more powers in many aspects, such as enforcement powers, punishment, oversight, and so on. Considering that the WHO, as an international organization, needs to develop new international treaties or amend existing health regulations through consultation and compromise between states, this is the most straightforward way.

Keywords: World Health Organization; Global Health Governance; International Health Regulations; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6463-734-2_85

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