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From the Diamond Princess to the MV Hondius: International Law Still Lacks Clear Rules for Public Health Emergencies on Cruise Ships

May 25, 2026

Despite the lessons of COVID-19, the treatment of cruise ships during public health emergencies remains governed by fragmented and incomplete rules under international law. Recent treaty reform efforts failed to resolve the structural gaps exposed both in 2020 and now again in 2026. In April and May 2026, the expedition cruise vessel MV Hondius became the site of a hantavirus outbreak that has grabbed media headlines across the world. The ship departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on 1 April 2026, carrying around 150 passengers and crew representing 23 nationalities. Passengers were primarily from Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, while most crew members were from the Philippines.

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The Withdrawal of Argentina from WHO: Another from Apology to Utopia Moment

March 19, 2026

On 17 March 2025, the Secretary-General of the United Nations received a letter from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of the Argentine Republic, informing him, in his capacity as depositary of the Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO), of Argentina’s denunciation of the Constitution of the WHO. In this letter, the Minister…

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The Entry into Force of the Amendments to WHO’s International Health Regulations

October 7, 2025

Introduction The International Health Regulations (IHR) are, for the moment, the sole global binding legal instrument in force for the prevention and control of the international spread of disease.  They are the successor of the pre-WHO international sanitary agreements that were taken over by the newly established WHO and replaced by a single regulation originally adopted…

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“Don’t Leave Me This Way!” The Controversial Right to Withdraw from the WHO

March 4, 2025

On 20 January 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to begin the withdrawal of the United States of America (US) from the World Health Organization (WHO). At the core of the decision is US criticism of the WHO’s “mishandling” of the COVID-19 pandemic and other global health crises, including its alleged “failure to…

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The 77th World Health Assembly: Modest Amendments to the IHR-2005… More Expectations of the WHO’s ‘Pandemic Treaty’?

September 27, 2024

The Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly (‘WHA-77’) was held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 27 May – 1 June 2024. The theme of WHA-77 has been ‘All for Health, Health for All’, with two main hot topics on the agenda: (1) the revision of the International Health Regulations (IHR) from their 2005 version, based on more than…

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