The Impact of the World Health Organization on International Business
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56294/digi2026243Keywords:
certifications, international trade, health governance, WHO, pandemic, regulations, public health, trade agreementsAbstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken on a central role in the indirect regulation of international business. This article analyzes the WHO's impact on global trade, considering its role in issuing regulations, certifications, and recommendations during health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The methodology employed is qualitative and documentary, based on the analysis of academic sources, technical reports, and international treaties. The results reveal that the WHO influences trade agreements, indirectly regulates supply chains through health standards, and promotes emerging sectors such as digital health and biotechnology. However, it also faces criticism for its financial dependence, slow response, and the inequalities its guidelines generate in countries with less technological capacity. It is concluded that the WHO is a key regulatory actor in the global economy, whose legitimacy and effectiveness depend on institutional reforms that balance state sovereignty and international cooperation.
References
Acosta, D. R., Zurita, C. Y. A., & Fuenmayor, P. L. B. (2025). Complejidad de las interacciones de factores clave en la construcción de la paz en un mundo postpandémico. Las Torres de Lucca: revista internacional de filosofía política, 14(2), 377-388. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=10288588 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5209/ltdl.93845
Alcívar Martínez, B., Conforme Muñoz, W. J., Cedeño Santos, M. N., Véliz Zambrano, V., & Lemoine Quintero, F. Ángel. (2025). Capacidades dinámicas y la gestión empresarial: Caso Inharipac S.A. Manabí, Ecuador. Revista Multidisciplinaria Voces De América Y El Caribe, 2(2), 334-360. https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v2i2.156 DOI: https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v2i2.156
Alcivar Martínez, B., Ordoñez Gilces , Y. V., Quito Zambrano, M. Y. ., & Álvarez Vidal, M. E. (2024). Cuadro de mando integral como herramienta de gestión para la Asociación de Mujeres Comunitarias AMUCOMT. Revista Multidisciplinaria Voces De América Y El Caribe, 1(1), 262-285. https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v1i1.38 DOI: https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v1i1.38
Alcívar Toala , K. J. ., Carbo González, M. F. ., & Paredes Floril, P. R. (2024). La Evasión Fiscal como Efecto a la Carencia de Cultura Tributaria en los Contribuyentes del Guayaquil. Revista Multidisciplinaria Voces De América Y El Caribe, 1(2), 507-549. https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v1i2.81 DOI: https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v1i2.81
Belén Herrero, M., & Belardo, M. B. (2022). Salud internacional y salud global: reconfiguraciones de un campo en disputa. Revista Relaciones Internacionales, 95(2), 54-82. https://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?pid=S2215-45822022000200054&script=sci_arttext DOI: https://doi.org/10.15359/ri.95-2.3
Cujilán, M., Ballesteros Gallo, S., & Botero Mendoza, L. (2024). Empoderando comunidades: obstáculos y oportunidades en la reconstrucción a través de alianzas estratégicas. Revista Multidisciplinaria Voces De América Y El Caribe, 1(1), 31-51. https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v1i1.2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v1i1.2
FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. (2020). General Principles of Food Hygiene: CXC 1-1ScS. https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius
GAVI. (2021). COVAX explained. https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/covax-explained
Gómez Rodríguez, D. T. (2024). La producción de alimentos para autoconsumo. Revista Multidisciplinaria Voces De América Y El Caribe, 1(1), 52-79. https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v1i1.12 DOI: https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v1i1.12
Gostin, L. O., Friedman, E. A., s Wetter, S. A. (2020). Responding to COVID-19: How to navigate a public health emergency legally and ethically. Hastings Center Report, 50(2), 8-12. https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.1090 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.1090
Kickbusch, I., Leung, G., Bhutta, Z. A., Matsoso, M. P., Ihekweazu, C., s Abbasi, K. (2020). Covid-19: how a virus is turning the world upside down. BMJ, 369, m1336. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1336 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1336
Lemoine Quintero, F. A., & Párraga Romero, S. A. . (2024). El marketing de fidelización y su contribución a la calidad del servicio gastronómico. Revista Multidisciplinaria Voces De América Y El Caribe, 1(1), 103-126. https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v1i1.7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v1i1.7
Noa Guerra, D. ., & Salabarria Rodriguez, D. . (2025). Challenges and perspectives of rural tourism in Ciego de Ávila. Actas Iberoamericanas En Ciencias Sociales, 3(1), 9-20. https://doi.org/10.69821/AICIS.v3i1.58 DOI: https://doi.org/10.69821/AICIS.v3i1.58
OECD. (2021). COVID-1S and International Trade: Issues and Actions. https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses
Páez Moreno, Ángel E. ., Román-Acosta, D. D. ., & Rodríguez Torres, E. . (2025). Design of an attitude scale to measure transformational marketing. Management (Montevideo), 3, 245. https://doi.org/10.62486/agma2025245 DOI: https://doi.org/10.62486/agma2025245
Palma Andrade, W. L. (2024). Vacunas extorsivas en Ecuador: Un análisis jurídico sobre las tendencias de extorsión en América Latina. Revista Multidisciplinaria Voces De América Y El Caribe, 1(1), 432-473. https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v1i1.48 DOI: https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v1i1.48
Perez Vega, J. C. (2025). Contexto del teletrabajo en América Latina desde una visión gerencial y de legalidad. Revisión sistemática. Revista Multidisciplinaria Voces De América Y El Caribe, 2(1), 311-351. https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v2i1.135 DOI: https://doi.org/10.69821/REMUVAC.v2i1.135
Suescum Coelho, C., & Suescum Coelho, C.-E. . (2025). Business Sustainability: Decoding the Code for the New Standard in Decision-Making. Actas Iberoamericanas En Ciencias Sociales, 3(1), 120-136. https://doi.org/10.69821/AICIS.v3i1.84 DOI: https://doi.org/10.69821/AICIS.v3i1.84
UNCTAD. (2020). COVID-1S and Trade: Navigating the Challenges. https://unctad.org/webflyer/covid-19-and-trade
World Bank. (2021). Global Economic Prospects, June 2021. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/global-economic-prospects
World Health Organization. (2016). International Health Regulations (3rd ed.). https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241580496
World Health Organization. (2021). COVID-1S Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan 2021. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-WHE-2021.02
World Trade Organization. (2022). Understanding the WTO: The Agreements - SPS Measures. https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/sps_e/spsagr_e.htm
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Guillermo Alejandro Zaragoza Alvarado, Yanet Domínguez Albear, Ynosencia Merejo Medrano (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The article is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Unless otherwise stated, associated published material is distributed under the same licence.
