The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant weaknesses in the global legal framework for pandemics. In response, in 2021, WHO member states launched negotiations to develop a new pandemic agreement aimed at addressing the gaps revealed by the pandemic. After three years of negotiations, on 20 May 2025, the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution by way of a resolution. This is only the second time since the WHO’s founding in 1948 that the World Health Assembly has adopted an international agreement—the first being the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. It marks a significant institutional and legal milestone, reflecting a major shift in approach by placing equity and solidarity at the forefront of pandemic prevention and response. Still, the agreement’s true impact will depend on a range of short- and long-term factors, which we explore in the following post.
United States
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The Latest Trump Threat to International Law: Unilaterally Mining the Area
On 24 April 2025, the White House issued an Executive Order (“Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources”) directing the Administrator of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to “expedite the process for reviewing and issuing seabed mineral exploration licenses and commercial recovery permits in areas beyond national jurisdiction under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral…
What President Trump’s “Reciprocal” Tariffs Mean for International (Trade) Law
When US President Donald Trump announced the imposition of “reciprocal” tariffs on virtually the entire globe on April 2nd, many observers felt that they were witnessing a historic event—the “end of globalization as we know it”, the starting shot to an economic calamity on the scale of the Covid-19 pandemic or, as the prime minister of…
US Withdrawal from NATO and Its Impact on Access to Greenland
The US has long expressed interest in acquiring Greenland. Most recently, President Trump indicated a desire to ‘get’ the island by whatever means necessary. While the motivations remain somewhat unclear, there is – despite political rhetoric – no doubt as to Danish sovereignty over the island. Refusals to rule out…
Legal Limits for UNSC Action on Peace in Ukraine
The last weeks have seen a gradual increase of pressure on the Ukrainian leadership to succumb to Russia’s imperialist demands. In particular, the United States of America under the Trump Administration have repeated their calls for a “Peace Deal” between the two states at war. The Administration suspended military and intelligence aid to Ukraine after asserting that President…
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