The International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR(2005)) is a binding instrument of international law aimed at preventing, protecting, controlling, and responding to the international spread of disease. The regulations are binding for 194 nations, including all WHO member states.

This website containts four cross-secitonal datasets, providing a detailed view of the implementation of the IHR(2005) through national laws in countries of the European region. These datasets were created through a pilot project that focused on laws in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, and Switzerland.

This project was funded by the European office of the WHO and the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (SFOPH) and conducted by the Institute of Health Law at the University of Neuchâtel in partnership with the Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple University Beasley School of Law, with in-country lawyers, as well as national and WHO subject matter experts.

For this pilot project, the scope of the project is restricted to certain provisions of the IHR(2005). The four datasets are organized in a way that is representative of the aim of the IHR(2005) stated in its Article 2, to “prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease in ways that are commensurate with and restricted to public health risks, and which avoid unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade.”

Use the links below to explore each of the datasets: