The Future of Global Health Security

The COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of a new set of global health challenges have highlighted the need for improved global health governance structures. The project on the Future of Global Health Security focuses on three growing and interrelated risks to global public health: the emergence of novel zoonoses, or viruses capable of jumping from wild species to humans; the expanding biosecurity vulnerabilities posed by technological advances, particularly in the fields of genomics and synthetic biology; and the multiple, looming health hazards presented by climate-induced changes in disease patterns and vectors. The project asks whether the existing landscape of international treaties, institutions, and arrangements is fit for purpose, given these fast-emerging and alarming threats. Where it is not, it will propose new norms, rules, and frameworks of cooperation involving both state and non-state actors. The project engages a study group in a series of workshops to identify reform ideas from around the world, assess their merit and feasibility, and design a blueprint to make international governance more responsive and resilient against the global health security threats. It will culminate in a Council Special Report. 

This project is made possible with the generous support of the Koret Foundation.