One Health and Pathogen Sharing: Filling the Gap in the International Health Regulations to Strengthen Global Pandemic Preparedness and Response

Abstract

The covid-19 pandemic and other major public health emergencies of international concern occurred in the last 20 years remind us of the close interconnections between human, animal, and environmental health and the need for collaborative and multisectoral approaches to address complex health threats. These outbreaks also serve to highlight the importance of timely sharing of pathogens, which are used to characterise the causative agent of an outbreak, understand its spread, and develop diagnostics, antiviral treatments, and vaccines. Despite their relevance to preparedness and response, neither One Health nor pathogen sharing are grounded within the International Health Regulations (ihr). This paper analyses the existing institutional and normative gaps within the ihr, including examining how other regimes within the international legal landscape have sought to ‘fill the gaps’. We explore possible solutions and make proposals to strengthen interinstitutional cooperation and coordination through mechanisms alternative to ihr reform or a global pandemic treaty.