Open AccessThe Contribution of International Organizations, in Particular of the European Union, to the Fight against Global Health Threats: COVID-19 and its Challenges and Opportunities
Author(s) -
Francesca Delfino
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
araucaria
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.157
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 2340-2199
pISSN - 1575-6823
DOI - 10.12795/araucaria.2020.i45.15
Subject(s) - european union , covid-19 , political science , competence (human resources) , pandemic , right to health , global health , value (mathematics) , international community , economic growth , public administration , law , human rights , international trade , medicine , health care , business , infectious disease (medical specialty) , economics , management , disease , pathology , machine learning , computer science , politics
The protection of health, initially implemented in terms of charity, in favourof the poor and the destitute and by specific public and private bodies, with theconclusion of numerous international treaties becomes a fundamental humanright that no longer falls within the exclusive competence of the State alone.The value and crucial role of the right to health have been recently rediscoveredduring the health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately,the outbreak of the serious health crisis found the international community andthe European Union unprepared to give an unequivocal and coordinated response to guarantee the protection of this fundamental right. The article undertakes acritical analysis of the contribution made so far to tackling the global threat posedby COVID-19, on the one hand, by the WHO, the main international organizationdealing with global health and, on the other hand, by the European Union, aregional integration organization to which States have not attributed competencesin health matters.