International Conference on International Law in Public Health: Reflection on International Health Regulations Revision and Future Implementations
Jan. 7-8, 2005
By WTO Research Center, College of Law, National Taiwan University, Taipei
In a century with such intensive interactions among countries as in the twenty-first one, goods, services, manpower and information flow rapidly across borders, which help to build a borderless world for sickness. International trade, increasing use of genetically modified products, changes of the packing approaches, and shifts of social environments, all these emphasize again and again that agenda related to citizens' health and sanitation requires international cooperation to solve. The World Health Organization (WHO) established International Sanitary Regulations (ISR) in 1951, in order to protect the world from the spread of infectious diseases. In 1969, ISR was amended and renamed International Health Regulations (IHR). Acknowledging the appearance of newly-found diseases and the setback of existing diseases, WHO arranged working groups to revise IHR in 1995. After checking with the regional offices, World Health Organization (WHO) made a revision proposal in January of 2004. Member states discussed the proposal in the conference held in Geneva, Switzerland and will keep on discussing it in February, 2005.
Besides, WHO has been keeping in establishing and revising related regulations and agreements, which will need us continually to study and analyze, so that we can understand the newest development of international health laws. For example, in order to lower the damage of smoking to human health, WHO passed Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in May of 2003. It regulated various aspects of tobacco products, including components, packing, advertisements, sponsor, promotion, pricing, and taxation. FCTC is a milestone of the global anti-tobacco regulation. 57 countries have ratified, approved, or accepted it, and it came into effect on February 27, 2005.
Generally speaking, we should keep paying attention to WHO related regulations and treaties, like IHR and FCTC, for example, even though we are not yet the member of WHO. It will help us to join these international campaigns aiming to improve the health and welfare of human as a whole if we can tell the world how important we view and how supportive we are to the agenda of sustainable development related to world sanitary and environment by understanding the newest developments and the trends of these campaigns. This conference was just the beginning for the scholars to contribute to the agenda mentioned by the revision or establishment of WHO related regulations, to help the Government formulate policies, to direct out country on the right track to response to the international situations, and to actively participate the international events.
International Conference
On
International Law in Public Health: Reflection on International Health Regulations Revision and Future Implementations
January 7-8, 2005
By
National Taiwan University College of Law and College of Public Health
Taipei
Conference Program
January 7, 2005 (Friday)
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08:30-09:30 |
Registration/Grand Formosa Regent Taipei Hotel 41 Chung Shan N. Road, Section 2, Taipei, Taiwan |
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09:30-10:00 |
Opening Ceremony Opening Remarks Ø Dr. Chien-Jen Chen, Minister, Department of Health Ø Dr. Michael Y. M. Kau, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ø Dr. Jung-Der Wang, Dean, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University Ø Dr. Chang-Fa Lo, Dean, College of Law, National Taiwan University |
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10:00-10:15 |
Break |
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10:15-12:40 |
Session I: Fifty Years of Implementation of IHR after Its Issuance in 1951 and the Impact of the New IHR on the World Health Organization and Its Implication on International Law Five aspects will be the focuses of this session: (1) to review the trend of globalization and its implication on the emerging and re-emerging of infectious diseases; (2) to examine what had been achieved in the past fifty years of IHR and to provide us with some ideas about the strength and weakness of the original IHR; (3) to give broader perspective on the New IHR; (4) to review the impact on the WHO by the new IHR which promise to solidify significant changes at WHO and for WHO; (5) to review the new IHR from public international law perspective and to examine the implications created by the new IHR. Chair: Ø Dr. Hsiu-Hung Wang, Deputy Minister, Department of Health Speakers: Ø Professor David Fidler, Indiana University School of Law “From International Sanitary Conventions to Global Health Security: The New International Health Regulations” Ø Dr. Chang-Fa Lo, Dean, College of Law, National Taiwan University “Important Implications of the New IHR on the Operation of WHO and on International Law” Ø Dr. Chang-Chuan Chan, Director, Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University “The Trend of Globalization and Its Implication on Infectious Diseases” Discussant: Ø Dr. Michael Baker, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences Ø Professor Pavel Suian, Bogdan Voda University |
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12:40-14:00 |
Lunch Break |
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14:00-16:00 |
Session II: The Meaning of the New IHR for the Surveillance of Infectious Diseases Since the new IHR represent an innovated scheme to collectively fight against diseases of international concern, it should be important to have in-depth reviews on the surveillance aspects of the new IHR. There are two related issues to be addressed here: (1) Speakers will start to review and analyze the New IHR from the perspective of its potential of advancing surveillance of infectious diseases. (2) Speakers may also address iNGO in the new IHR. Chair: Ø Dr. Shiing -Jer Twu, National Policy Advisor to the President Speakers: Ø Dr. Michael Baker, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences “Implications of the Revised IHR for the Quality of Public Health Surveillance” Ø Dr. Steve Hsu-Sung Kuo, Director General, Center for Disease Control, Department of Health “The Revision of the IHR and the Global Disease Detection” Discussant: Ø Dr. Myongsei Sohn, Professor of Medical School and Associate Dean of School of Public Health, Yonsei University |
January 8, 2005 (Saturday)
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08:30-10:30 |
Session III: Global Health Security, Trade, and Human Rights There are a number of elements in the new IHR to have strong implications on international trade and human right protection. The speakers will address how well the new IHR balances the objectives of global health security in the new IHR with trade concerns and human rights. Speakers might also cover some of the overlap between the new IHR and other international agreements. Chair: Ø Dr. Peter W. S. Chang, Director General, Bureau of International Cooperation, Department of Health Speakers: Ø Dr. James Dwyer, Center for Bioethics and Humanities of SUNY Upstate Medical University “Professional Duties and Infectious Diseases” Ø Professor Pavel Suian, Bogdan Voda University “World Health Security” Ø Dr. Huei-Chih Niu, Institute of Law for Science and Technology, National Tsing Hua University “WHO/IHR and WTO/SPS Agreement – A Comparative Perspective” Discussant: Ø Professor David Fidler, Indiana University School of Law Ø Professor Kiljun Park, UB Chair Professor of Medical Law, Medical School, Yonsei University |
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10:30-10:45 |
Break |
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10:45-11:40
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Session IV: Challenges for Countries and Case Report Discussions of the new IHR from the perspective of countries are very important because some countries, especially developing countries, will face the most serious challenges under this new system. Papers might also deal with the ways and means of helping these countries from the perspectives of international organization and developed countries. Chair: Ø Ms. Mei-Ling Hsiao, Counselor, Department of Health Speaker: Ø Dr. Myongsei Sohn, Professor of Medical School and Associate Dean of School of Public Health, Yonsei University “Aiding the implementation of the IHR In Developing Nations” Ø Dr. Mei-Shang Ho, Associate research fellow, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica and advisor to Taiwan CDC “Challenges from Emerging Infectious Disease in Taiwan” Discussant: Ø Dr. James Dwyer, Center for Bioethics and Humanities of SUNY Upstate Medical University |
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11：40-13：00 |
Session V: Roundtable Discussion Does the New IHR Represent Good Balances between National Sovereignty and International Responsibility; between Human Rights and International Health Requirements; between the Rights and Needs of Poor and Wealthy Countries? Chair: Ø Dr. Chang-Fa Lo, Dean, National Taiwan University College of Law Panelist: Ø Professor David Fidler, Indiana University School of Law Ø Dr. Chang-Chuan Chan, Director, Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University Ø Dr. Michael Baker, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences Ø Dr. Steve Hsu-Sung Kuo, Director General, Center for Disease Control, Department of Health Ø Dr. James Dwyer, Center for Bioethics and Humanities of SUNY Upstate Medical University Ø Professor Pavel Suian, Bogdan Voda University Ø Dr. Huei-Chih Niu, Institute of Law for Science and Technology, National Tsing Hua University Ø Dr. Myongsei Sohn, Professor of Medical School and Associate Dean of School of Public Health, Yonsei University Ø Professor Kiljun Park, UB Chair Professor of Medical Law, Medical School, Yonsei University Ø Dr. Peter W. S. Chang, Director General, Bureau of International Cooperation, Department of Health Ø Dr. Mei-Shang Ho, Associate research fellow, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica and advisor to Taiwan CDC |
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13：00-13：10 |
Closing Remark |
