Cabinet material and briefings: Minor Amendments to the International Health Regulations 2005: Approval for Binding Action

Cabinet material and briefings: Minor Amendments to the International Health Regulations 2005: Approval for Binding Action

The International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR) is the principal legal framework for the international management of acute public health threats. The IHR has served the world well during multiple events. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided a stress-test for global health system response frameworks and in so doing has helped identify areas where the IHR can be improved. To this end, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has initiated a two-stage process to revise and strengthen the IHR. This involves:

• some minor administrative amendments to reduce the timeframe within which future amendments will come into force from the current 24 months down to 12 months. These amendments were adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2022 and will come into force in May 2024; and
• intergovernmental negotiations on more substantive amendments to the IHR with a view to these be adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2024.

This Cabinet paper proposes that New Zealand be bound by the minor administrative amendments adopted by the 2022 World Health Assembly

These documents have been proactively released by the Ministry of Health on behalf of the Minister of Health, Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall.

Title of key advice paper:

• Ministerial briefing H2023023846: Paper to Cabinet Social Wellbeing Committee on Minor Amendments to the International Health Regulations 2005: Approval for Binding Action

Title of Cabinet paper:

• Minor Amendments to the International Health Regulations 2005: Approval for Binding Action

Titles of minutes: 

• Report of the Cabinet Social Wellbeing Committee: Period Ended 1 September 2023 (CAB-23-MIN-0421)
• Minor Amendments to the International Health Regulations 2005: Approval for Binding Action (SWC-23-MIN-0124) 

Some parts of this information release would not be appropriate to release and, if requested, would be withheld under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act). Where this is the case, the relevant sections of the Act that would apply have been identified. Where information has been withheld, no public interest has been identified that would outweigh the reasons for withholding it. 

Some information has been redacted from the Cabinet minute as it out of scope of the subject of this proactive release. 

Redaction codes:

• S 7(b) to avoid prejudicing relations between any of the Governments of (i) New Zealand, (ii) the self-governing State of the Cook Islands and (iii) the self-governing State of Niue.
• S 9(2)(a) of the Act, to protect the privacy of natural persons.
• S9(2)(ba)(i) to protect information which is subject to an obligation of confidence or which any person has been or could be compelled to provide under the authority of any enactment, where the making available of the information would be likely to prejudice the supply of similar information, or information from the same source, and it is in the public interest that such information should continue to be supplied.
• S 9(2)(g)(i) to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and frank expression of opinions by or between or to Ministers of the Crown or members of an organisation or officers and employees of any public service agency or organisation in the course of their duty.