Friday 19 / April / 2024
Muscat: The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the most wide-ranging reforms in its history according to WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Dr. Ghebreyesus, said, "The changes we are announcing today are about so much more than new structures, they’re about changing the DNA of the organisation to deliver a measurable impact in the lives of the people we serve.”
"Our vision remains the same as it was when we were founded in 1948: the highest attainable standard of health for all people. But the world has changed, which is why we have articulated a new mission statement for what the world needs us to do now: to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable,” he said.
Dr. Tshidi Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, added, "Science is changing at a rapid pace. WHO must not just keep up; we must be ahead of the curve, setting the agenda, driving research and innovation, and ensuring it works for people.
"To ensure we are set up to harness the power of science and innovation in a systematic way, we are creating a new Division of the Chief Scientist."
According to Dr. Moeti , "This office will perform two essential functions. First, it will ensure WHO anticipates and stays on top of the latest scientific developments, and that we identify new opportunities to harness those developments to improve global health.
"The second key role of the Division of the Chief Scientist will be to ensure the excellence, relevance and efficiency of our core technical functions, including norms and standards and research. In short – giving our Member States better products, faster.
Dr. Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, stated, "Each one of us is responsible for playing our part in delivering the “triple billion” targets. To do that, we must align the work of every employee to our strategy and goals. This is a major shift. In the staff survey we did in 2017, only 47% of you said that you can link your day-to-day work with our overall strategy.
"To keep us focused and accountable for delivering the WHO's 13th General Programme of Work and the “triple billion” targets, we are creating a new Division of Data Analytics and Delivery for Impact, reporting to the Director-General," the Omani confirmed.
"Within this division, the new Department of Delivery will focus on WHO’s work at all levels and across pillars to optimise our impact at country level."
The new measures were developed following an extensive period of consultation with staff, and were developed jointly by WHO’s Global Policy Group, which consists of the Director-General and each of the organisation's six regional directors.
