[Ip-health] Financial Times: Rivals line up to lead drive for better health

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

<SNIP>

In a process that has been criticised for its secrecy, they will vote by
ballot until a simple majority emerges for one candidate, who is
formally then proposed to a full meeting of the 192-country World Health
Assembly on November 9. The process will be highly political, with
candidates proposed by Burma and Syria, and five from Europe. China and
France have both backed a candidate, breaking an informal understanding
by some that members of the UN Security Council should not stand.

Some argue it is time for Africa to lead the WHO, particularly given the
continent's enormous health challenges and following the departure of Mr
Annan, a Ghanaian, as head of the UN. Two past director-generals have
been from Asia, and nominees this time from China and Japan risk
splitting votes in the region.

The elections were triggered by the unexpected death in office in May of
Dr Lee Jong-wook from South Korea, who was credited with implementing
important policies including efforts to scale up HIV treatment around
the world.

However, he often avoided conflict, notably with the US over issues
including intellectual property protection and with China over the
status of Taiwan. He also sparked internal animosity with his style in
restructuring the agency and decentralising staff from the Geneva
headquarters, triggering a strike late last year.



-------------------

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/939dbf8c-3e0d-11db-bd60-0000779e2340.html

-------------------


    Rivals line up to lead drive for better health

By Andrew Jack in London, Frances Williams in Geneva and Tom Mitchell in
Hong Kong

Published: September 7 2006 03:00 | Last updated: September 7 2006 03:00

The race to lead the World Health Organisation for the next five years
kicked off on Wednesday with publication of the list of 13 candidates
standing for election as director-general.

Past and present WHO officials and top national politicians are among
those who have put their names forward for a job that will prove central
to shaping efforts to reduce premature deaths around the world.

The WHO, with a budget for 2006-07 of $3.3bn (=802.6bn, =A31.8bn) and 8,500
staff, will play an important role in efforts to achieve the United
Nations millennium development goals, which aim to cut child mortality,
improve maternal health and reverse the growth in the world's leading
infectious diseases.

The election, coupled with the selection of a new executive director for
the UN-backed Global Fund to fight Aids, TB and malaria, comes at an
important time for global health, after the pledge by the Group of Eight
leaders to push for as close as possible to universal access to Aids
treatment for those who need it by 2010.

It also coincides with a debate on the need for change in the operation
of the WHO and more broadly across the entire UN system, and as the race
advances to replace Kofi Annan as secretary-general.

Details of the candidates are to be circulated by October 5. The 34
countries on the WHO's executive board will meet on November 6-8 to
short-list about half a dozen for presentations and interview.

In a process that has been criticised for its secrecy, they will vote by
ballot until a simple majority emerges for one candidate, who is
formally then proposed to a full meeting of the 192-country World Health
Assembly on November 9. The process will be highly political, with
candidates proposed by Burma and Syria, and five from Europe. China and
France have both backed a candidate, breaking an informal understanding
by some that members of the UN Security Council should not stand.

Some argue it is time for Africa to lead the WHO, particularly given the
continent's enormous health challenges and following the departure of Mr
Annan, a Ghanaian, as head of the UN. Two past director-generals have
been from Asia, and nominees this time from China and Japan risk
splitting votes in the region.

The elections were triggered by the unexpected death in office in May of
Dr Lee Jong-wook from South Korea, who was credited with implementing
important policies including efforts to scale up HIV treatment around
the world.

However, he often avoided conflict, notably with the US over issues
including intellectual property protection and with China over the
status of Taiwan. He also sparked internal animosity with his style in
restructuring the agency and decentralising staff from the Geneva
headquarters, triggering a strike late last year.

Many critics argue that the WHO's structure, with much of the budget and
many nominations determined by its regions, needs to be reformed but
that the director-general would need widespread country support to bring
about change.

Kamran Abbasi, the editor of the journal of the Royal Society of
Medicine in London, said: "The central issue is how much happens at the
centre. There is a need for decentralisation backed up by resources."

He also said there was a need to shift from the WHO's focus on
communicable diseases to non-communicable ones such as diabetes, which
are increasingly important in the developing as well as the developed
world. "The WHO was set up to fight communicable disease but this should
be a dynamic organisation, not entrenched in a 1940s view."

Prof Christopher Murray from Harvard University said the WHO had a clear
advantage in setting standards but there was debate on the suitability
of its staffing and resources to translate and implement such guidelines
in individual countries.

He also called for a strengthening of the WHO's role in epidemic
surveillance, and developing evidence-based policies to strengthen
health systems. "There is a lot of rhetoric in this area but little
progress. However, everyone involved in scale-up of programmes
recognises that how systems are organised, how staff are trained and
paid, how they are regulated and managed are absolutely critical.