Develop and strengthen public health law

Abstract

The rule of law consists of one of the key requirements to implement policy reforms. The new global health policy, "Health for All in the 21st Century", indicates the role of public health law to attain its values and objectives. This article studies the status retained to secure both international and national law in the new policy, and identifies two initiatives to be undertaken by WHO to develop and strengthen public health law. The usefulness and efficiency of international law depend on national capacities to implement law. Thus, this article concludes that the Organization should adopt international legal instruments and that it should, simultaneously, assist Member States to build institutional and human capacity in public health law. However, these initiatives require that all Member States confirm political determination to link economic and social reforms with legislative reforms.