Italy's Rejection of the 2024 Amendments to the International Health Regulations

Italy is among the few States that rejected the 2024 amendments to the International Health Regulations (“IHR”), a legally binding instrument adopted within the framework of the World Health Organization, which aims to prevent and respond to the international spread of disease. By declining to accept the amendments, Italy aligned itself with the position of the United States, adopting a markedly nationalistic approach to global health governance. The decision was strongly criticized by the opposition parties and by a large part of the scientific community. According to the governing majority, the primary concern underlying this decision is the protection of national sovereignty in health policy. However, the amendments afford States a broad margin of discretion in their implementation and, therefore, cannot be regarded as constituting a significant interference with the exercise of sovereign rights. Notwithstanding the rejection of the 2024 amendments, Italy remains bound by the IHR in their 2005 version.