Global Health Institute

Events such as the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic, the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, and the 2016 Zika pandemic not only stressed the interconnectedness of our world, but also highlighted the disproportionately distributed burden of disease that epidemics have around the world. Despite the increased visibility of global health security, there has been surprisingly little discussion on the equity dimensions of the global health security regime.

Students at Georgetown like to say that global bureaucratic institutions do not work well, that no one reads their reports, or that high-level meetings are ineffective. While there may be some truth in those statements, following the World Health Organization (WHO) over the past few weeks has made me think twice about these criticisms. The WHO recently published three documents that honor several promises made by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, for improving the organization and finding better health solutions. The documents include the World Malaria Report 2018, the 13th General Programme of Work (GPW13) WHO Impact Framework, and the Declaration of Astana. Together, they recognize the global trend towards country agency and a need for primary care, even in the context of infectious disease control.