Global Health Watch 1 in one file

Recommendations
WHO’s core purpose Below are proposals for WHO’s core roles derived from
our literature review and interviews, which can be debated and fleshed out in
the future:
• Acting as the world’s health conscience, promoting a moral framework for
health and development policy, and asserting the human right to health.
• Promoting the principles of the Alma Ata declaration on Health for All.
• Establishing, maintaining and monitoring global norms and standards on
health and health care.
• Strengthening its role as an informed and trusted repository and disseminator
of health information and experience.
• Conducting, commissioning and synthesizing health and health systems
research, including research on the health impact of economic activities.
• Promoting and protecting the global commons, including the creation of
transnational goods such as research and development capacity, and control
of transnational externalities such as spread of pathogens.
• Providing a mechanism for coordinating transnational/cross-boundary
threats to health.
• Strengthening WHO’s presence in countries to play a stronger stewardship
role in coordinating and bringing together international and bilateral agencies
and international NGOs to develop a unified, purposeful multisectoral
health strategy and activities to implement it.
Democratization/ governance
• Take measures to position WHO as an organization of the people as well as
of governments. This involves representation of broader groups of interests
including civil society, and processes that ensure a wide range of voices is
heard and heeded.
• Support and expand the Civil Society Initiative at WHO. Southern civil society
organizations need support to have a more direct voice. Public-interest
organizations must be differentiated from those representing commercial
interests, including front organizations funded by transnational corporations.
• The politicized nature of the elections of the director-general and regional
directors needs to be tempered. Possible solutions include a wider franchise,
perhaps with an electoral college of international public health experts
to complement the member states' votes, including representatives
from civil society organizations. Candidates should be required to publish
a manifesto and WHO should facilitate widespread debate about them, with
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