COVAX has zero checks, balances or enforcement mechanisms

The public–private partnership called COVAX was meant to provide that strategic vision. But as Felix Stein, an economic anthropologist at the University of Oslo, has argued7, the initiative’s governance structure and dose-sharing strategies make it ill-suited for the job. “COVAX has zero checks, balances or enforcement mechanisms, either on countries in the global north who don't play ball or on the pharmaceutical industry,” he says.

Source: Nature

What does "checks, balances" mean here? Given it says "(checks, balances) or enforcement mechanisms", I guess that "checks, balances" is some form of enforcement mechanisms like the US "checks and balances" system. I am not sure.

Note the comma after checks. This is part of a list - checks or balances or enforcement mechanisms.

What’s the definition of “check” here? Money or fund?

Neither — inspection or examination.

GoodTaste said:

What’s the definition of “check” here?

Click to expand...

It's something that that arrests, limits, or restrains.

(Merriam-Webster)