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On 17 May 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), making it the third major global health emergency declared in recent years, following the COVID-19 pandemic and the mpox outbreaks. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed major weaknesses in global health governance, including poor international coordination and vaccine nationalism, prompting reforms centered on prevention, preparedness, equity, solidarity, and coordinated responses. These efforts have led to amendments to the International Health Regulations and the adoption of a new Pandemic Agreement, although the latter has not yet entered into force, while geopolitical tensions (such as the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO) have complicated progress. Against this background, this Lecture will examine whether current global health law, the WHO’s institutional role, and existing legal frameworks are sufficient to address outbreaks like Ebola or whether further legal and institutional reforms are needed.

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