About the lecture

The role of the EU in global health has progressively evolved towards a comprehensive and strategic contribution. This evolution has been facilitated by the use of EU internal market, trade and agriculture powers to develop a health agenda, the strengthening of the EU health policy through the adoption of comprehensive policy documents, and the development of a complex institutional framework.

In this context, the role of the EU at the World Health Organization (WHO) deserves particular attention, as the latter constitutes the main international organisation in health matters. The lecture will examine EU-WHO cooperation from both an institutional and a legislative perspective. Recent developments, including the United States withdrawal from WHO and the current negotiations of an International Pandemic Agreement, will illustrate some of the current challenges and opportunities in the role of the EU at WHO. 

About Elisabet Ruiz Cairó

Elisabet Ruiz Cairó is a legal consultant at the Public Health Law and Policies Unit, Health Promotion Department, of the World Health Organization. She holds a PhD from the University of Geneva (Switzerland), an LLM from the College of Europe (Belgium) and an LLB from the Autónoma University of Madrid (Spain). Her current work focuses on the regulation of digital marketing across risk factors (tobacco, alcohol, food and non-alcoholic beverages, and breast-milk substitutes) and the regulation of alcoholic beverages. She has published extensively on different topics of global and European public health law, among which the monograph ‘The promotion of public health in EU external relations’ (Schulthess, 2021)

EUqualis series of lectures

This event is part of a series of guest lectures organised in the framework of the EUqualis Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (ERASMUS-JMO-2021-HEI-TCH-RSCH) hosted by the IEE. Elisabet Ruiz Cairó is a guest of Professor Chloé Brière (Centre for European Law, IEE) and Professor Amandine Crespy (Cevipol, IEE). 

Practical information

When: February 13, 2025 at 14.30 – 16.00

Where: On campus at IEE-ULB (Salle Geremek) or online 

Registration