The Global Health Law Consortium held its first consensus conference in April 2019 to develop an authoritative international legal interpretation of article 43 and article 44 of the International Health Regulations. This three-day conference in Stellenbosch, South Africa led to two consensus statements on the legal meaning of these key provisions, with these “Stellenbosch Consensus” statements forming the foundation of a 2022 International Organizations Law Review special issue on ‘Reforming the International Health Regulations’.