ABSTRACT
We are happy to present our Readers with the latest volume (XLI) of the Polish Yearbook of International Law. Although the COVID-19 pandemic – which has had a significant negative impact on the scientific life throughout last two years – is not over yet, we try to return to the normal mode of functioning. Already in the Fall of 2021, a Polish-German colloquium was held in Bonn to commemorate important events which have impacted the current Polish-German relations. This particularly encompassed the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Warsaw (the so-called 1970 Polish-German Agreement) and the 30th anniversary of the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany (the 2+4 Agreement concluded in 1990). The colloquium, originally planned for 2020, was postponed for one year due to the pandemic. The current volume of PYIL contains a selection of the texts presented during or in connection with this event. The German side is represented by professors Stefanie Schmahl, Christian Tomuschat, Robert Uerpmann-Wittzack, Stephan Hobe, Hans-Georg Dederer, Markus P. Beham and Andreas Kulick, while the Polish view is offered by professors Jan Barcz, Władysław Czapliński and Jerzy Kranz. © 2021, Polish Yearbook of International Law. All Rights Reserved.
ABSTRACT
The World Health Organization (WHO) has attracted an unprecedented level of criticism over its handling of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To enhance its legitimacy and better prepare for a future pandemic, various proposals to reform the WHO and the International Health Regulations have been made. Against this background, this article seeks to contribute to the ongoing discussions by investigating the nature of WHO's work and its activities. Starting from the premise that much of the criticism stems from the uneasy coexistence of politics and expertise in WHO's work, this article analyses some of the most controversial aspects of WHO's initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic: (i) the alleged leniency towards China;(ii) the delay in declaring a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC);and (iii) the delay in recommending the use of face masks for the general population. The article shows that politics infiltrates WHO activities in different ways, influencing even the processes that are conventionally seen as purely technical and science-based. At the same time, it argues that the influence of politics in WHO's work should not be seen as some kind of atrophy, but should rather be considered a natural element that should be managed rather than dreaded. © Lukasz Gruszczynski and Margherita Melillo, 2022.