WHO Executive Board Must Take Inclusive, Consensus-Based Approach To Make Greatest Impacts On Global Health

Devex: Opinion: WHO executive board meetings must be driven by inclusion and collaboration
Kenneth E. Thorpe, Robert W. Woodruff professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy & Management at the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University and chair of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease

“…When the WHO board meets, it would be wise to heed the lessons about what can be accomplished when a collaborative approach is pursued. Global institutions working with private stakeholders have launched initiatives that have had massive positive impacts on global health. … Institutions such as WHO have succeeded in part thanks to their openness to partnerships with a wide range of private- and public-sector stakeholders to improve global health outcomes. Unfortunately, in recent years, such institutions have moved away from these successful partnerships in favor of unproven and less effective policies pushed by a small group of special interests. The upcoming meeting in January offers WHO an opportunity to correct course and follow [a] consensus-based approach … It is time they choose a more inclusive approach and make strides towards a healthier future” (1/24).

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