Devex: New WHO structure revealed
“The World Health Organization has revamped its senior management structure. The revamp, laid out in an internal memo sent to staff and seen by Devex, includes the creation of new positions and divisions which will help WHO achieve its triple billion targets in its new five-year strategic plan…” (Ravelo, 3/6).

New York Times: WHO Chief Plans to Reorganize a Vast Bureaucracy
“…The announcement, made in a lengthy and mostly cheerful speech delivered jointly by the organization’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and the directors of the agency’s six regional offices, aims to serve the WHO’s new targets: to get affordable health care to the world’s poorest one billion people; to better protect them against epidemics; and to help them enjoy better health, including protection from noncommunicable diseases like cancer. But it was unclear how the plan, as announced, would increase efficiency…” (McNeil, 3/6).

Reuters: WHO chief unveils reforms, with more science, apps and an academy
“…Alongside this ambition to cast a huge global net, there will be a new chief scientist role, reflecting the WHO’s determination to be ahead of the curve on frontier technologies such as gene editing, and to ensure its member countries are first to benefit from research and innovation. A new chief of antimicrobial resistance will tackle what Tedros told staff was ‘one of the most urgent health threats of our time.’ The agency will also focus more on ‘digital health,’ using text messages to spread messages about vaccination and smartphone applications to help people manage and monitor their health…” (Miles, 3/6).

U.N. News: Ramped-up emergency preparedness, part of ‘changing the DNA’ of the U.N.’s health agency
“…To provide new learning opportunities for staff and public health professionals around the world, a state-of-the-art WHO Academy has also been proposed to create a more dynamic, diverse workforce. Other measures include a streamlined recruitment process to cut hiring time in half; more management training; new opportunities for national professional officers, and previously announced improvements in conditions for interns…” (3/6).

Xinhua News: WHO’s historic reform centers on universal health coverage, health emergencies
“… ‘The changes we are announcing today are about so much more than new structures, they’re about changing the DNA of the organization to deliver a measurable impact in the lives of the people we serve,’ said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. … According to the WHO chief, the WHO’s new corporate structure will be based on four pillars: the Programs pillar to support the UHC, the Emergencies pillar to respond to health crises, the External Relations and Governance pillar to target resource mobilization and communications, and the Business Operations pillar to focus on delivery of key corporate functions…” (3/7).