Main description:

In recent years the spread of diseases such as AIDS, SARS and avian flu has pushed health issues towards the top of the international agenda. Such outbreaks have serious political, economic, and social consequences and remind the world of the necessity of global cooperation in order to deal effectively with the challenges they pose.

Global Health Governance offers a comprehensive introduction to the changing international legal environment, the governmental and non-governmental actors involved with health issues, and the current regime's ability to adapt to new crises. Part 1 focuses on the evolution of international regulations aimed at stopping the spread of health problems across borders. Over the last 150 years, the nature of such cooperation, the motivations of the parties involved, and the diseases covered, has changed radically. Part 2 examines some of the most prominent actors in global health governance today, ranging from traditional intergovernmental organizations, such as the WHO and the World Bank, to private philanthropic organizations that exist outside regular global governance structures. Part 3 concentrates on some of the most pressing issues facing global health governance today, including access to pharmaceuticals, the costs and benefits of making health a security issue, and the role of civil society organizations.

Global Health Governance provides an accessible and insightful analysis of an evolving realm of global governance and cooperation. It will appeal to students of global health politics, global governance, international organization, and human security.

Contents:

List of Acronyms vi List of Figures and Tables viii Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1 Part I History 11 1 Early International Health Governance Efforts 13 Part II Actors 27 2 The World Health Organization 29 3 The World Bank 46 4 UNAIDS and the Global Fund 63 5 Private Actors 82 6 Civil Society Organizations 99 Part III Key Issues 115 7 The Global Infectious Disease Surveillance Regime 117 8 Framing Health Security 132 9 Access to Pharmaceuticals 144 Conclusion 157 Notes 164 Bibliography 166 Index 184