COVID-19 pandemic exposes deep fault lines in global health governance: Lessons for the WHO

A specter is hunting the world – the specter of a deadly infectious disease – novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which has resulted in 758,390,564 and 6,859,093 confirmed cases and deaths, respectfully, worldwide as of 11 March 2023 (World Health Organization 2023). The lethality and adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have generated increased awareness and interest in reforming the global health system. This study seeks to explain the major conceptual fault lines in global health governance (GHG) that hindered infectious disease-control efforts during the COVID-19 outbreak. This will enable the WHO to reform or consider alternative models of GHG in preparation for the next pandemic. The study finds that a global coordinated response has been conspicuously absent in an attempt to combat the COVID-19 pandemic due largely to stumbling blocks such as state sovereignty, gaps in international legal frameworks, and inadequate institutional coordination and collaboration. The article concludes with some novel, innovative, and prescriptive policy approaches toward filling a lacuna in global health architecture.