Commentary: The World Health Organization and the International Health Regulations of 2005: from emergency management to public health risk governance

This commentary addresses the novel nature of the mechanism of standing recommendations issued under the International Health Regulations of 2005, as well as the potential shift it may represent for the WHO from an emergency management organisation to a public health risk governance one. The latter is a broader category, which could help address other global health challenges that lack sufficient attention. For that to occur, several premises must be met, and perhaps the most fundamental one is that the WHO’s recommendations must be taken seriously by its Member States. The commentary concludes by putting forward arguments for overlooking the emergency bias that has so far prevailed in the implementation of the IHR (2005).