Multilateralism and Management of Public Health Emergencies: A Case Study of the Africa Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19 Outbreak

• Author: Udoka Ndidiamaka Owie
• DOI: 10.25159/2522-6800/10290
• Published date: 01 June 2022
• Date: 01 June 2022
• Pages: 1-15

Commentary

Southern African Public Law

https://doi.org/10.25159/2522-6800/10290

https://unisapressjournals.co.za/index.php/SAPL

ISSN 2522-6800 (Online)

#10290 | 15 pages

© Unisa Press 2022

Multilateralism and Management of Public Health

Emergencies: A Case Study of the Africa Joint

Continental Strategy for COVID-19 Outbreak

Udoka Ndidiamaka Owie

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0741-6231

York University, Canada

uowie@yorku.ca

Abstract

As the world continues to grapple with a pandemic that struck in January 2020,

the responses of governments and international organisations to control and

combat it varied albeit with different levels of success. Some responses gave

rise to nationalist as well as anti-multilateral and -international sentiments and

actions, including the politicisation of the pandemic and a retreat from

multilateral and international institutions of cooperation. However, the African

Union’s response was a beacon of multilateralism as manifested by the adoption

of an Africa Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19 Outbreak. This

instrument is a coherent and pervasive framework for combatting the pandemic

and forms the basis of the continent’s response by informing the responses of

the regional economic communities and member states. Despite this important

outline of policy articulation that is geared towards informing policy

convergence, the Africa Joint Continental Strategy remains under-analysed and

under-appreciated as an example of agency, effectiveness, leadership,

multilateralism and indeed sagacity.

Keywords: African Union; Africa CDC; COVID-19; joint continental strategy;

multilateralism; regional economic communities; regional coordinating

centres; African agency