Assessing the Role of Treaties, Conventions, Institutions, and Other International Agreements in the Global COVID-19 Response: Implications for the Future

This issue brief examines existing treaties and other global health agreements to assess whether they have been utilized for the COVID-19 pandemic response and whether they contain pandemic preparedness and response components in their mandates. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged and revealed gaps in global health governance systems, prompting stakeholders to reevaluate existing frameworks and discuss new agreements aimed at addressing future pandemics. To help inform these discussions, we evaluate existing global health agreements to assess their role in pandemic preparedness and response efforts, including the COVID-19 pandemic.