About the PHE Principles

The Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Public Health Emergencies (PHE Principles) were launched on 23 May 2023, on the margins of the 76th World Health Assembly.

Initiated through a partnership between the Global Health Law Consortium and the International Commission of Jurists, the PHE Principles are the outcome of collaborative engagement between more than 150 individuals from around the world, including international legal scholars and practitioners, human rights defenders, civil society, public health researchers, health workers and others bearing important insights and expertise.

The initiative to draft the Principles was driven in part by the need to address the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human lives, livelihoods, and rights. The Principles also draw lessons from past public health crises - many of which continue to be the source of great human suffering. Mere slogans of #NeverAgain and promises of building back better are not enough to prevent the international community from repeating the same mistakes that leave human rights at the periphery of public health policymaking in times of crisis.

Policymakers and citizens must engage in a sustained and critical reflection on how to ensure rights-based approaches to public health emergencies. The Principles provide an authoritative interpretation of international law that can help guide this learning, fostering coherence in a fragmented legal landscape, communication among diverse communities of practice, and collaboration towards rights-based frameworks for public health emergency prevention, preparedness and response.