On the Administrative Powers of the WHO: A Lesson from the Pandemic

Abstract

The WHO’s management of the pandemic has drawn sharp criticism. It has been suggested that there is an urgent need for a reform providing more intrusive administrative powers. By contrast, this paper argues that the WHO needs sharing powers rather than intrusive powers. Given that the main international norms have arguably designated the WHO as a “non-authoritarian” authority aiming at the highest possible level of health for individuals, the paper suggests that sharing of administrative powers should be incentivised by involving all the relevant actors in the decision-making process, namely through the participation in proceedings of all actors involved in the decision-making, namely governments, national health authorities, and other non-state actors.