World Health Organization and COVID-19 Pandemic: Assessing Effectiveness of Global Governance

Introduction. The central role in the formation of a global health governance system is assigned to the World Health Organization (WHO), which is part of the United Nations Family of Organizations. Amid increasing globalization, the challenges to human security have become more acute, including those related to the spread of dangerous infections, which grow to epidemics and pandemics. Faced with the COVID-2019 pandemic, WHO appears to have a number of structural problems that prevent it from successfully fulfilling its regulatory and coordinating functions.

Materials and methods. Methodologically, the study is based on a critical analysis of relevant official and unofficial sources, as well as functional and chronological methods.

Results. The article examines how WHO has been responding to the pandemic, what objective and subjective problems it is facing, what “failures" it has experienced and how they can be overcome through further reforms. It is concluded that despite the presence of, albeit limited, experience in combating mass infections, over the last decades WHO has failed to carry out the necessary structural reforms aimed at improving the effectiveness of the organization. The authors study how these “failures" affect the Organization's reputation, as well as what consequences that might lead to.

Discussion and conclusion. WHO remains the key institution entrusted with the function to develop a global health governance system. At the same time, the Organization's relations with national states, its “disconnection" of national healthcare complexes, financing and accountability problems, as well as the ineffectiveness of the coordinating function result in its deteriorating role. Amid globalization, this factor contributes to the weakening international security, since the lack of effective pandemic management exacerbates the problems of national stability and human security.

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