Professor Roojin Habibi’s work sits at the cutting edge of these debates, examining how international law responds to emerging global health risks while safeguarding human rights and the rule of law.
In a recent co-authored op-ed published in response to Canada’s suspension of immigration processing for individuals from Ebola-affected countries, Professor Habibi joined with Professors Y.Y. Chen and Jamie Liew to examine how public health measures can conflict with international legal obligations. Entitled, “Suspending immigration over Ebola is misguided and goes against international law,” the article, published in The Globe and Mail, argues that the policy is inconsistent with the International Health Regulations and reflects a broader pattern in which emergency measures risk becoming overbroad, discriminatory, and ineffective. The authors emphasize that international health law requires responses that are evidence-based, proportionate, and grounded in human rights, warning that blunt restrictions may undermine trust and weaken global disease surveillance rather than improve public health outcomes.
This intervention reflects Professor Habibi’s broader research agenda on the governance of global health in times of instability. In a recent article published in The BMJ, co-authored with Professor Matthew Herder (Dalhousie University), Fatima Hassan (Health Justice Initiative, Cape Town, South Africa), and Dr. Andrew Hill (University of Liverpool), she examines how recent policy decisions by the United States may have wider implications for international public health. Entitled “The United States is driving a public health emergency of international concern,” the article cautions that reductions in foreign aid, withdrawals from international health institutions, and shifts in pandemic preparedness strategies are cumulatively heightening global health risks. The authors argue that, under the International Health Regulations, such systemic developments may in principle raise questions about whether conditions for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern are being approached, underscoring that legal thresholds focus on risk and cross-border impact rather than the source of harm.
Related to this work, Professor Habibi continues to develop innovative legal frameworks for strengthening global health governance. She is the recent recipient of a SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant for a project entitled “Codifying Legal Foundations for Human Rights in Public Health Emergencies.” In partnership with the International Commission of Jurists and members of the Global Health Law Consortium, the project will produce an authoritative legal commentary on the Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Public Health Emergencies. These Principles, which Professor Habibi helped to draft, clarify states’ obligations across all phases of health emergencies, from prevention and preparedness to response and recovery. They have already begun to inform policy discussions at international and regional levels. The resulting work will bridge persistent gaps between human rights law and global health law, while also addressing the challenge of translating international norms into domestic implementation.
Alongside these major research initiatives, Professor Habibi is also actively engaged in global policy and public dialogue on health governance. She is a member of the Pax Sapiens Foundation's Design Working Group for a “Pandemic Compensation Initiative,” where she is exploring mechanisms to reduce economic and political disincentives for early outbreak reporting. The initiative brings together experts from across sectors to examine how international cooperation can be strengthened to prevent future outbreaks from turning into larger epidemics and pandemics. She recently contributed to a video produced by the Foundation.
Further reflecting the practical relevance of her research, Professor Habibi was invited by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in March 2026 to contribute to a regional workshop on legal preparedness and public health emergency readiness in Eastern Africa. The initiative brought together officials and experts from across the region to examine how legal and institutional frameworks can better support the prevention, detection, and management of public health emergencies. Professor Habibi’s participation highlights the growing international influence of her work.
She has also contributed to high-level academic and policy discussions on the future of global health governance in a shifting international order. At the recent conference The Rupture in the Global Order: Implications for Science Diplomacy, hosted by the University of Ottawa’s Centre for International Policy Studies in May, Professor Habibi spoke on the implications of geopolitical fragmentation for global health systems, including the pressures facing multilateral institutions such as the World Health Organization and the broader challenges of sustaining international cooperation in science and health diplomacy.
Taken together, Professor Habibi’s recent work demonstrates a sustained and deeply engaged contribution to understanding how international law can respond to rapidly evolving global health challenges. Through scholarship, policy engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration, she continues to shape debates on how legal frameworks can better support equitable, effective, and rights-respecting responses to health emergencies in an increasingly complex world.