World Health Organisation

Why in news?

• India’s calls for WHO reforms, especially after the body’s initial handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, have been backed by countries around the world.

Need for WHO Reforms:

• The growth and scope of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has prompted requests for increased international public health collaboration, both at the regional and global levels; especially reforming the WHO.
• WHO is not immune to global power-play. Powerful countries such as the US and China influence decision making.
• Funding issues: Only a quarter of its budget comes from contributions from UN member-states, and the real money to power its work is from voluntary funding by countries and organisations.
• WHO’s institutional arrangements must be able to strongly push global cooperation in public health and support developing countries in real-time.
• Neither WHO nor any multilateral organisation is involved in drugs research.

About WHO:

• WHO, the United Nations’ specialized agency for Health was founded in 1948.
• Its headquarters are situated in Geneva, Switzerland.
• There are 194 Member States, 150 country offices, six regional offices.
• It is an inter-governmental organization and works in collaboration with its member states usually through the Ministries of Health.
• The WHO provides leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

Governance

• World Health Assembly
  • The Health Assembly is composed of delegates representing Members.
  • Each Member is represented by not more than three delegates, one of whom is designated by the Member as chief delegate.
  • The annual programme of work is passed by the World Health Assembly (WHO’s decision-making body)
• Functions
  • The Health Assembly determines the policies of the Organization.
  • It supervises the financial policies of the Organization and reviews and approves the budget.
  • It reports to the Economic and Social Council in accordance with any agreement between the Organization and the United Nations.
• The Secretariat
  • The Secretariat comprises of the Director-General and such technical and administrative staff as the Organization may require.
  • The Director-General is appointed by the Health Assembly on the nomination of the Board on such terms as the Health Assembly may determine.
• Membership and Associate Membership
  • Members of the United Nations may become Members of the Organization.
  • Territories or groups of territories which are not responsible for the conduct of their international relations may be admitted as Associate Members by the Health Assembly.

Funding:

• It is funded by a large number of countries, philanthropic organisations, United Nations organisations etc.
• There are four kinds of contributions that make up funding for the WHO:
  • Assessed contributions:
    • These are the dues countries pay in order to be a member of the Organization, calculated relative to the country’s wealth and population.
  • Specified voluntary contributions:
    • These come from Member States (in addition to their assessed contribution) or from other partners.
  • Core voluntary contributions
    • Allow less funded activities to benefit from a better flow of resources and ease financing constrains.
  • Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Contributions:
    • These were started in 2011 to improve and strengthen the management of influenza viruses with human pandemic potential and to assist developing countries in pandemic response.
• It spends majority of its funds on:
  • African countries and South East Asia (including India) receives large share for varied purposes.
  • Polio eradication
  • Increasing access to essential health and nutrition services
  • Vaccine preventable diseases and on prevention and control of outbreaks.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding ‘World Health Organisation’:

1. It is a specialized agency of the United Nations

2. Its budget is entirely funded by mandatory contributions of UN member-states

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer