The targeted amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005), adopted by the World Health Assembly on June 1, 2024, are to be treated as an international treaty and therefore require approval by the Austrian Parliament. In order to comply with international law and the Austrian Constitution, the Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations in Geneva filed a legal objection to the targeted amendments on July 17. As long as this objection remains in place, Austria is not bound by the targeted amendments to the International Health Regulations.
The changes were a response to the experiences of recent years and aim to strengthen global preparedness and response capacities for public health emergencies. Austria supports the process in the spirit of global solidarity and a focus on the root causes of pandemics. “Austria benefits from strengthening the capacities of WHO member states to detect future disease outbreaks and pandemics, respond rapidly, and coordinate the response between states. Since pandemics do not respect national borders, it is necessary to support all international health systems to protect the population in Austria,” said the Ministry of Health.
The objection will be withdrawn once the scheduled parliamentary approval process is complete. This procedure does not constitute a substantive rejection of the amendments, but serves solely to ensure a constitutionally compliant approach – which was also clearly stated to the WHO: “The rejection is provisional and will be withdrawn once the Austrian Parliament has approved the amendments to the International Health Regulations.”
Inquiries & Contact
Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (BMASGPK)
https://www.sozialministerium.gv.at/Services/Presse/Presseaussendungen.html
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://sozialministerium.gv.at
