Democratizing the World Health Organization

• Published in: Public health (London) Vol. 128; no. 2; pp. 195 - 201
• Main Authors: van de Pas, R, van Schaik, L.G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2014
• Subjects: Civil society; Democracy; Dissent and Disputes; Financing; Global governance for health; Global Health; Health; Health Policy; Humans; Infectious Disease; Internal Medicine; Politics; Professional Role; Public health; Reforms; Right to health; World Health Organization; World Health Organization - economics; World Health Organization - organization & administration; Democracy; World Health Organization; Civil society; Global governance for health; Right to health
• ISSN: 0033-3506; 1476-5616
• DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2013.08.023

Abstract A progressive erosion of the democratic space appears as one of the emerging challenges in global health today. Such delimitation of the political interplay has a particularly evident impact on the unique public interest function of the World Health Organization (WHO). This paper aims to identify some obstacles for a truly democratic functioning of the UN specialized agency for health. The development of civil society's engagement with the WHO, including in the current reform proposals, is described. The paper also analyses how today's financing of the WHO – primarily through multi-bi financing mechanisms – risks to choke the agency's role in global health. Democratizing the public debate on global health, and therefore the role of the WHO, requires a debate on its future role and engagement at the country level. This desirable process can only be linked to national debates on public health, and the re-definition of health as a primary political and societal concern.