DOI: 10.38007/978-1-80053-623-4

The existing global health governance system presents a triple paradox: firstly, resource allocation exhibits a “reverse prevention” feature, with developed countries having an advantage in health research and development investment, while underdeveloped countries bear the long-term burden of disease; secondly, the information sharing mechanism is subject to disputes over data sovereignty, and early warning systems for epidemics often fail due to information barriers; thirdly, health aid carries a strong geopolitical color, and vertical intervention projects often overlook the institutional capacity building of recipient countries. This mechanistic flaw has been particularly prominent in the COVID-19 pandemic: from the politicization of virus tracing to the tug of war over vaccine patent exemptions, international cooperation processes have been repeatedly disrupted by non health factors. 

The third chapter of this book reveals a key contradiction: in the absence of effective accountability mechanisms, self interested actions of states may harm the global public interest. By constructing the “Health Safety Index” analysis framework, the study found that the effectiveness of epidemic prevention and control is positively correlated with factors such as the modernization of the country’s governance system, social trust capital, and technological innovation capability, which are deeply influenced by the level of international cooperation. When some countries turn the pandemic response into a geopolitical tool, they are actually overdrawing the credit foundation of global health governance. The two coronavirus pandemics from SARS to COVID-19 clearly outline the paradigm shift trajectory of global health governance. The information blockade and unilateral actions during the SARS period led to the early uncontrolled spread of the epidemic. During the COVID-19 phase, despite issues such as unequal vaccine distribution, the unprecedented close collaboration in virus research by the international scientific community, innovative applications of digital technology in contact tracing, and active participation of non-state actors such as the Gates Foundation, all indicate a trend towards diversified governance entities. 

Technology driven innovation cooperation will bring new opportunities for global public health crisis response, such as the application of big data, artificial intelligence and other technologies that can improve the accuracy of epidemic monitoring and early warning. The reform path of financing mechanism is the key to solving the problem of global health governance funding shortage, which requires exploring diversified financing channels and improving the efficiency of fund utilization. The paradigm shift of global health governance is an inevitable requirement for achieving sustainable development of global health, which requires a transformation from the traditional disease centered governance model to a health centered governance model. The background of this book is the frequent occurrence of global public health crises, and global health cooperation has become a necessary way to address these crises. To achieve efficient international cooperation, we need to continuously improve cooperation mechanisms and promote innovation and reform within the existing global health governance framework. In the future, global health cooperation will inevitably face more complex challenges and also give birth to more opportunities. We look forward to exploring new ideas for the future development of global health governance through this book, and providing useful references for cooperation among countries in the field of global health security. 

Download Full Text