Newswise — WASHINGTON (October 23, 2017) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown Law in Washington, DC, as a WHO Collaborating Center with a special focus on providing strategic support to the WHO Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) regional priorities.
According to the WHO, Collaborating Centers ensure scientific validity of its global health work. It provides opportunities to coordinate common interests and deliver technical support in implementing WHO’s mandated work and program objectives, and develop and strengthen capacity in countries and regions.
The WHO’s designation of the O’Neill Institute as a Collaborating Centre for National and Global Health Law affirms a long-standing relationship between the organizations, which share a common interest in utilizing law as an effective instrument toward improving the health and wellness of people around the world.
“The O’Neill Institute brings a deep bench of experts in international law and global health to these projects – all with extensive experience in developing frameworks to guide the development of laws, policies and guidelines toward the ultimate goal of improving health,” says Oscar Cabrera, O’Neill Institute Executive Director.
The O’Neill Institute will work with WHO, as well as regional offices like PAHO in several distinct areas: food and drug law and regulation, health governance, human rights law, and universal health. An additional project involves developing legal and regulatory frameworks related to non-communicable diseases with the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO).
“It is an honor to work with WHO and our colleagues at PAHO and EMRO,” says Lawrence Gostin, O’Neill Institute Faculty Director. “We have important work ahead with expected outcomes that can make a measurable impact in the health and wellbeing of millions around the world. Law can be a vital tool to vastly improve the health and lives of populations. Law also serves justice and human rights, which are vital to human wellbeing.”
The Collaborating Center is a four-year agreement.
The O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University is the premier center for health law, scholarship, and policy. Celebrating its 10th year in 2017, its mission is to contribute to a more powerful and deeper understanding of the multiple ways in which law can be used to improve the public’s health, using objective evidence as a measure. The O’Neill Institute seeks to advance scholarship, science, research, and teaching that will encourage key decision-makers in the public, private, and civil society to employ the law as a positive tool for enabling more people in the United States and throughout the world to lead healthier lives.
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