Introduction
WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It was established in 1948 and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. WHO works globally to promote health so the world stays safe and no one is left behind (WHO,2023). WHO is an autonomous United Nations organization with most of the world’s countries among its member states. The organization’s highest policy-making organ is the World Health Assembly, which conducts annual meetings involving health ministers of member countries. The General Assembly chooses the Executive Committee and appoints its own Director-General. WHO’s executive head is the Director-General.
The WHO takes charge of managing and responding to health emergencies worldwide (Brown & Cueto, 2010). It has the function of coordination and support in cases of epidemic outbreaks, natural disasters, and the spread of epidemics, as well as assisting national health systems. It contributes in many ways to global vaccination, the development of new pharmaceuticals, and the management of infectious diseases. When an outbreak occurs, it collaborates with its international collaborators to encourage research and development as well as vaccine distribution to end that particular epidemic’s spread. WHO focuses on and strives to eliminate global health disparities, paying equal attention to poverty discrepancies, geographical location, or individual finances. It strengthens relationships with other international organizations, governments, NGOs, academic institutions, and industry partners in collaboration to foster global health.
Historical Context of WHO
The history of WHO can be built on the world’s postwar situation and health condition (Lee, 2008). The Second World War finished in 1945, and the world faced a massive reconstruction challenge. War destruction and casualties have threatened nations with huge economic, social, and health burdens. However, after the war’s end, countries started to understand that it was necessary to create international organizations to support cooperation, prevent wars, and solve common socioeconomic issues. In 1945, the United Nations was created to foster global cooperation and sustain world peace (Lee, 2008). The war saw several places succumbing to infectious diseases like influenza and typhoid. Also, with the globalization of human activities, the threat from transnational infectious diseases is even more evident, and hence, a truly international health agency has become necessary to address such threats. The international cooperation before the creation of WHO was mostly attributed to bodies like the International Sanitary Conference and League of Nations Health Organization before its establishment.
Nevertheless, these organizations needed more resources and could not fully respond to global health issues during their time. In 1945, the United Nations was established with a charter obligating it to support global health. The Commission on Health and Epidemiology Committee was formed by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in 1946, whose foundation established WHO (Lee, 2008). Under the circumstances, it specialized in worldwide health cooperation to assure human and individual well-being as an initiative of controlling preventable diseases during the reconstruction stage after warfare has departed and also combat dangerousness hurdles.
The role of the World Health Organization in global health governance
Among the leaders of international health affairs, WHO coordinates global cooperation in matters related to health (Lidén, 2014). It is the leader on health issues, outlines guidelines, offers technical support, and coordinates available resources. When a global crisis occurs in terms of a pandemic or natural disaster, among many other public emergencies, WHO is one of the lead response agencies for epicenters under such circumstances. It plays a role in coordinating emergency response from countries and partners, providing technical support, and resource coordination.
The management and crisis response of global health represents WHO’s primary function (Brown & Cueto, 2010). The operations include coordination and support assistance during epidemic outbreaks, natural disasters, and the spread of infectious diseases. The institution is an international coordinator, collaborating worldwide in the fight against health threats and supporting national health systems during crises. In particular, the WHO plays a leading role in mobilizing international partners to speed up vaccine development and rollout during epidemics as part of efforts to contain the spread of diseases.
Beyond crisis response, the WHO is deeply involved in promoting global vaccination initiatives, developing new drugs, and controlling infectious diseases (Lidén, 2014). It engages in advocacy and support for member states to strengthen their health systems, improve the accessibility and quality of health services, and work towards achieving universal health coverage. The organization also emphasizes addressing global health inequalities, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of economic status or geographic location, have access to basic health rights.
WHO’s Initiatives for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
WHO is the key player in global initiatives to ensure health promotion and disease prevention through various interventions (Lidén, 2014). These programs include the mentioned approaches to control communicable and non-communicable diseases, health promotion, and prevention globally.
Global Vaccination Campaigns and Immunization Programs:
Vaccination of the world population is one of the key initiatives carried out by WHO (Brown & Cueto, 2010). The organization partners with member states, international donors, and non-governmental organizations to ensure vaccination equity worldwide. As such, the WHO’s strategic planning, advocacy, and coordination efforts are essential to the containment of infectious diseases as well as to safeguarding global public health.
Addressing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Health Risk Factors:
In embracing holistic health promotion, the WHO focuses on NCDs and health risk factors (Brown & Cueto, 2010). This program involves creating and advocating for policies to address lifestyle-related diseases like cardiovascular ailments, diabetes, and morbid obesity, among other chronic illnesses. By promoting a healthier lifestyle and adopting preventive approaches, the WHO helps to relieve populations worldwide from NCD incidence.
Global Health Education and Awareness Programs:
The importance of education prevention is realized by the WHO, which organizes global health education and awareness programs (Lidén, 2014). These programs seek to inform people and communities about health concerns, preventative actions, and healthy habits by creating public consciousness and convenient health information accessibility. WHO wants to encourage a proactive attitude toward making decisions to support the development of a healthy culture worldwide.
Collaborative Research and Innovation for Public Health:
The WHO collaborates with its operational duties on research and innovation in public health (Brown & Cueto, 2010). This program entails sponsoring and undertaking research projects, sharing scientific information, and advocating innovative strategies aimed at preventing diseases and embracing health frontiers. As it encourages a culture of perpetual progress and always remains abreast with science, the WHO increases its capacity to address emerging health issues.
Challenges Faced by the WHO in Global Health Governance
WHO faces many great challenges as one of the main actors in global health governance. One of the most widespread problems is that political forces influence decision-making procedures in organizations (Buliva et al.,2017). Finding a balance between the diverse political agendas of member states might prove cumbersome, diluting the WHO’s ability to act without bias and impartiality during global health emergencies. Secondly, WHO struggles with the long-standing problem of finite resources and funding restrictions that impede its ability to respond adequately to health crises or roll out vital programs worldwide. The organization’s operational transparency and resource allocation have also been questioned, with issues raised about the inefficiency of the utilization of resources. Political involvement further complicates matters, as external influences may undermine the autonomy and objective nature of WHO, especially when political considerations contradict health concerns in public. The organization faces global health injustices and variations of accessibility all the time, balancing to make sure that healthcare is distributed fairly despite economic, social, and geographical diversity. Finally, the WHO has been mandated to avoid developing diseases, necessitating constant natural changes in strategies, protocols, and collaborations in responding to new challenges. Solving these problems is necessary to strengthen WHO’s capacity as a leading and coordinating force in promoting international health agendas.
Conclusion
the World Health Organization (WHO) is a basis for global health governance since it represents an integrated concept of management that aims to address various problems and opportunities within this field. Following the Second World War, one of WHO’s historical contexts is global cooperation to fight emerging threats. The organization’s role is crisis management, coordinating response, and promoting global health initiatives. The commitment of the WHO to resolve health crises is manifested through the coordination of international efforts in combating epidemics, natural disasters, and infectious diseases. The organization acts as a focal point in vaccine research, development, and provision during epidemics, demonstrating its leadership in global health emergencies. In addition, the WHO is actively involved in advocating for global vaccination campaigns addressing non-communicable diseases and implementing health education programs promoting a preventive approach to disease prevention and promotion. But the WHO is not a bed of roses. Complex barriers are political influences, financial limitations, and the constant fight against global health injustice. Helping the organization overcome these challenges is vital to preserving its independence, transparency, and effectiveness as a global health governance. However, the WHO continues to ensure this despite these challenges through close relations with international organizations, nations’ governments, NGOs, academic institutions, and even industry partners who would like to see a global synergy in health development. The adaptability of the WHO is seen through collaborative research and innovation, manifesting resilience in response to ever-changing environmental threats.
References
Brown, T. M., & Cueto, M. (2010). The World Health Organization and the world of global health. In Routledge Handbook of global public health (pp. 18-30). Routledge.
Buliva, E., Elhakim, M., Tran Minh, N. N., Elkholy, A., Mala, P., Abubakar, A., & Malik, S. M. M. R. (2017). Emerging and reemerging diseases in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region—progress, challenges, and WHO initiatives. Frontiers in public health, 5, 276.
Lee, K. (2008). The World Health Organization (WHO). Routledge.
Lidén, J. (2014). The World Health Organization and global health governance: post-1990. Public Health, 128(2), 141–147.
WHO, (2023).What we do. https://www.who.int/about/what-we-do
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