Multilateralism and Human Security: Situating the Nature and Scope of 'Global Health Diplomacy' (GHD) in the context of COVID19

Abstract

COVID19 has yielded serious consequences globally, including severe damages to the economic, social, and health sectors around the world. The ensuing global crisis has created a strong realization among states that non-traditional security (NTS) threats such as pandemics and diseases do not discriminate between territorial boundaries. Hence, they cannot be dealt with in isolation, but rather by creating a mutual ground and impetus for coordination and collaboration within the international system. This research paper outlines the revival of global health diplomacy (GHD) as grounds for reforming multilateral global governance institutions under the umbrella of ‘human security.’ In doing so, it lists out key GHD initiatives during COVID19 by both state and non-state actors, while highlighting the need for continued collaboration in the post-pandemic recovery phase. Additionally, the present study takes the case of Pakistan, a developing state with extremely fragile health and economic infrastructure, so as to showcase the importance of humanitarian and developmental assistance in ensuing ‘human security.’ Thus, the role of international actors and multilateral global governance institutions is presented as a key to determining the nature of Pakistan’s response to managing COVID19, with implications for the impact of GHD in prioritizing ‘human security’ under the umbrella of global multilateralism.