Description
The ongoing C-19 pandemic has seen international organizations take leading roles in co-ordinating the procurement and supply of crucial vaccines, medicines and equipment. In the Middle East, it has also created new opportunities for regional organizations to pursue strategic foreign policy objectives. This paper examines bilateral and regional health diplomacy initiatives undertaken by the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council in response to the C-19 pandemic including foreign aid spending patterns and health communication. Through a comparative examination with similar activities during the 2012 MERS pandemic, it argues that coordination experience gained in 2012 provided sufficient space for member states to pursue foreign policy objectives during the C-19 pandemic.
