COVID-19 and the WHO: A Case Study on Global Health Law and Power Dynamics

(WHO Data, 2024)

Therefore, the key States involved were:

United States: As a major contributor to the operations of WHO, the United States (U.S.) has played a significant role in shaping global health policies. Presidents Trump initially praised WHO's actions. Later he announced to cease the funding and withdrawal from the WHO, due to the criticism of its handling of the pandemic (Alvarez, 2020).  Also, Trump claimed that the WHO was polite towards China; 's misrepresentation and did not impose travel restrictions, which caused the spread of the disease in the US (Alvarez, 2020). This had implications for international cooperation and international law. Also, the country was severely affected by the disease. The largest number of Covid cases were found in USA, where the highest number of cases were found in California, Texas, and Florida, etc. (Statista, 2024), as shown below:

(Statista, 2023).

China: According to (Sohrabi, et al. 2020), the pandemic initiated in Wuhan city of central China. The city identified 27 cases where patients had symptoms of: fever, dry cough, dyspneal, etc., which were caused by the Seafood market of Wuhan. On testing, the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) named the virus ‘Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2’ (SARS-CoV-2), on January 2020. Later, it was named COVID-19, by the World Health Organization (WHO) (Sohrabi, et al. 2020). Therefore, China is the key state involved in the whole pandemic situation.

European countries: According to (Bergner, 2023), the EU member countries and states collectively engaged with the WHO and contributed to the global health initiatives and policy-making process. The EU member countries played an active role in coordinating with WHO, sharing resources, and partnering in a normative role, which was crucial in addressing the pandemic (Alvarez, 2020).

International Organizations (IOs)

During the outbreak of Covid 19, there was immense pressure on the legal systems and the government struggled to adapt existing and new legislative frameworks, and administrative duties and make timely decisions to remain proactive in times of pandemic emergency (Beqiraj & Ippolito, 2021). At that time, international organizations (IOs) helped governments and legal systems to face the challenges. Also, IOs have played a better role in case of this public health emergency (Beqiraj & Ippolito, 2021). Also, IO has taken an important part in providing unified guidance, awareness, and facilities to reduce the damage caused by the pandemic. Some of them are: the United Nations (UN), WHO, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), etc. (Boado-Penas et al., 2022).

World Health Organization (WHO): The primary international organization responsible for coordinating global health responses is WHO.  The WHO sets guidelines, provides technical assistance (training, resources, and surveillance methods), and facilitates partnerships among member countries to fight public health emergencies like covid 19 (Detoro, 2020). It has a crucial role in declaring public health emergencies, disseminating information, and mobilizing resources. Hence, WHO has performed a central in managing the pandemic (Alvarez, 2020).

The United Nations (UN): The UN is an intergovernmental organization, performing since 1945 to maintain international peace, security, harmony, and relationships to solve international problems (Boado-Penas et al., 2022). The UN has also regarded the covid 219 pandemic to be more than just a health crisis and participated actively in preparing a comprehensive response to this international emergency (Boado-Penas et al., 2022). The UN has also supported the WHO's efforts by addressing humanitarian needs, promoting sustainable development, and awareness about human rights, in the context of the pandemic (Alvarez, 2020).

Non-state Actors

The non-state actors include: non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), the private sector, researchers, the media, and citizens of different countries (Jardali, et al. 2024), as shown in Table (Appendix).

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs): NGOs comprise of various organizations that have partially or entirely helped the government bodies to achieve humanitarian and cooperative goals in time of Covid 19 (Sayarifard, et al. 2022).  NGOs have played critical roles in delivering healthcare services, conducting advocacy and awareness campaigns, and supporting governments in different countries to fight the disease of COVID-19 (Shamim, 2021).

Private Sector and Civil Society Organizations: The private sector and other civil society organizations helped the cause of WHO, by spreading awareness about covid 19 prevention. Also, it collaborated with other companies and sectors, like telecom companies and media, to provide public health safety information, precautions, and other door-to-door services in urban and rural areas (Wallace, et al. 2022).