AIID joint submission supports Australia joining amended International Health Regulations as State Party

The Australian Institute for Infectious Disease (AIID) has made a submission to the Australian Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, supporting Australia becoming a State Party to the amended International Health Regulations (IHR). 

The IHR are the key legal instrument providing the World Health Organization’s international rules on how countries prevent, detect, and respond to the international spread of disease. The international community has agreed on amendments to the IHR following lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the need for an improved and more comprehensive set of international rules, practices and governance mechanisms to underpin the international cooperation and shared action required to effectively prevent, prepare for, and respond to infectious diseases and pandemics. 

The AIID believes Australia will benefit from both the amendments coming into force, and from being actively involved in their ongoing governance and implementation, enabling Australia to advance its interests and those of our partners and the region.  

Furthermore, the amendments will better enable countries such as Australia with advanced public health and healthcare systems to support other countries in our region, promoting stability and reducing the risk to our own country. 

Specifically, the amendments will improve the IHR with: 

• Enhanced information sharing including lower disclosure thresholds for emerging diseases. 

• The introduction of an additional higher alert level of a ‘pandemic emergency’. 

• Expansion of the core capacities nations are required to maintain in order to prevent and prepare for outbreaks. 

• Enhanced access to relevant health products for nations in need of support. 

• A new financial coordination mechanism and State Parties implementation committee. 

The AIID’s full submission can be viewed here.