In the second lesson of the One Health Policy Clinic, held on March 20, 2025, the ways in which globalization affects health and the importance of law in its protection were discussed.
It was observed how, over time, the international approach to health has evolved. The International Health Regulations of 1951, aimed at protecting global health from transnational infectious diseases, required states to report infectious diseases, but the poor adherence and focus on known diseases limited the effectiveness of the regulation.
In 2005, following health crises such as SARS and avian influenza, the regulation was updated, removing the static list of diseases and placing greater emphasis on the capacity of states to respond to international health emergencies. At the European level, the evolution of health protection was analyzed from the Rome Treaty to the Lisbon Treaty. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the European Union to strengthen measures to combat cross-border health emergencies, adopting new regulations.
Finally, the need for a holistic approach, One Health, which considers human, animal, and plant health as a single system, was highlighted. In this context, in 2024, the WHO proposed a Pandemic Agreement that includes the One Health approach to prevent, respond to, and prepare for future pandemics.