Letter to The Lancet re. DG WHO election
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LETTER TO THE LANCET
THE SELECTION OF WHO's NEW DIRECTOR GENERAL: A NEW PROCEDURE FOR A
NEW MILLENIUM
The world needs a doer WHO DG, i.e. a doer for Health or All.
Dr Mrs Brundlandt is stepping down next July. The time has come for a
new accountability and transparency in the selection of the new DG.
Today, this accountability is no longer mainly owed to member Govern-
ments (who get marred in matters of quotas, the trading of favors and
of continental rotations of the directorship). Instead, this account-
ability is primarily owed to civil society organizations (CSOs) and
health rights claim-holders the world over. But issues of account-
ability can only be measured against a work platform or a plan drawn
by potential candidates to the position. These have traditionally not
existed. We, therefore, need to create a forum for the candidates to
present their platforms and their positions vis-a-vis the many burn-
ing current issues the health sector faces nowadays; candidates also
have to make known their plans for WHO as an organisation. All this
has to be done soon (October-November 2002) since WHO's Executive
Board meets in January and will select the candidate to be proposed
to the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May 2003. This procedure may
sound unorthodox, but it sure is --no pun intended-- a 'healthy'
move. Times have changed, and the world cannot afford a next term of
a DG with weak actions on Health for All (HFA).
I suggest that the candidates submit the summary of their position
papers to The Lancet and this be followed by an open and democratic
list-server discussion over the Internet lasting at least four weeks.
Candidates could add a short list of senior collaborators they may
wish to invite to work with them in Geneva. The other side of the
coin is that, in this respect, CSOs have already spoken. They have
already published their platform in the form of the People's Health
Movement People's Charter for Health (People's Health Assembly,
Dacca, Bangladesh, December 2000) (http://www.phamovement.org). This
Charter has already been translated into over 20 languages and has
received endorsements by CSOs and individuals worldwide.
The Porto Alegre World Social Forum also formed a Health Group and
distributed a people's-centered call for action (The Defense of the
Health of People) (mailto:armandon@portoweb.com.br). The candidates
to the position of WHO DG cannot escape reacting to, at least, these
two documents. At stake also is for the candidates to take clear cut
positions in relation to WHO's position vis-avis the World Bank,
other UN agencies and The Global Fund, as well as in relation to the
separation of the Organisation from the interests of Transnational
Pharmaceutical Houses. What cannot be missed by the candidates either
is to express their views on how to commit, beyond lip service, to a
greater role for CSOs in the running of WHO policy affairs --
deepening what the current DG started through the launching of WHO's
Civil Society Initiative (CSI); this activity has to be kept and en-
hanced to cover not only WHO Headquarters (HQ), but also envisioning
an expanded role for CSOs in WHO's Regional and Country Offices work.
In short, in 2003, the world needs a DG who provides strong leader-
ship and direction to the WHA. We are entitled to know where the cho-
sen candidate stands on the major issues of the day, because s/he
will then have to take concrete actions on the policy issues and or-
ganizational changes presented to and approved by the Assembly. I am
aware that this is not an easy task, but one can never win an issues
and action debate if one does not engage in such debates. I am con-
vinced that most governments in the Group of 77 and in the Non-
Aligned Movement will go along with the new DG in approving, among
other, renewed commitments to HFA, to PHC, to community-based prepay-
ment schemes, and to health and nutrition as key elements in PRSPs
and beyond. But WHO --the Organisation-- has to then forcefully im-
plement and follow up such WHA resolutions asking for accountability
in subsequent assemblies (CSOs can be primary strategic allies in
this follow up). This will involve/require new commitments, not only
from WHO HQs, but also from regional and country offices which will
have to be more consequent with and become more persistent in imple-
menting WHA and WHO HQ mandates until they progressively become re-
alities at each national level.
I look forward to the unprecedented and sorely needed dialogue here
proposed. The Lancet can formalize the invitations for candidates to
join it and publish their key positions. I am sure the People's
Health Movement would be glad to host the list-server discussion to
follow.
Claudio Schuftan MD
IPO Box 369
Hanoi, Vietnam
mailto:aviva@netnam.vn
September 6, 2002
I have not heard from The Lancet, so assume letter was rejected.
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