University of Montreal | February 26, 2025
Read the Publication“The Normative Leadership of the World Health Organization: A quantitative analysis” is part of a research project led by an interdisciplinary team at the Université de Montréal in collaboration with global research partners, with support from the Center for Transformational Health Law. The project aims to provide empirical data on how WHO norms are incorporated into national legal frameworks, offering insights that inform both theory and policy.
This report focuses on understanding the integration of WHO norms — such as conventions, regulations, and policies — into domestic law. The research involves a detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis of domestic legal frameworks across eight countries: Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Israel, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United States. By examining these countries’ unique legal, political, and historical contexts, the project sheds light on the effectiveness of international health regulations and provides valuable recommendations to policy-makers and the WHO on strengthening global health governance strategies. The findings are enriched by input from national experts and aim to inform future health law reforms.