Embedded Files
Team Members: C. Cooper, S. Liu and N. Naurin*
*Note: The team members contributed equally and are listed in alphabetical order.
840372-2463657 - Nusrath Naurin - Jan 31, 2022 326 PM - WHO Infographic (6).pdfInfographic
Infographic
Please look at the infographic for the topic explored by the team.
Podcast
Podcast
Please listen to the team's podcast with Google Chrome. The transcript can be found here.
WHO_Survival.mp3Advocacy Letter
Advocacy Letter
Please read the team's letter to the WHO Deputy Director-General, Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab.
800750-2463664 - Sheldon Liu - Apr 5, 2022 104 AM - WHO Advocacy Letter.pdfBlog Post
Blog Post
The Survival of World Health Organization
Overview
Overview
The World Health Organization (WHO) is an intergovernmental organization that was established in 1948 and is an agency of the United Nations that plays a crucial role in international public health. Currently, the WHO experiences many problems with regards to its survival as an IO, and analyzing this through the lens of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic provides deeper insight into the issue (“World Health Organization”, 2022).
Why state cooperation is necessary for WHO
Why state cooperation is necessary for WHO
Cooperation is necessary for the WHO because pandemic and health affairs have many spheres of influence in other aspects of the world, such as economics, foreign aid, hunger, housing, and immigration. The job of the WHO is to improve access to medical aid, advise on labor policy, and prepare for global emergencies (“World Health Organization”, 2022). To both receive and advise on accurate information, it would be better for states and other organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, and the Center for Disease Control to cooperate with the WHO.
Current Problems
Current Problems
Problems with the World Health Organization's survival can be explained due to reasons why states are unwilling to cooperate with IOs. According to Mearsheirmer’s (1994), it is less likely for states to cooperate because anarchy creates mistrust within the international system which makes power the only factor that matters to states. This idea is based on realists principles which say that states exist in a constant state of anarchy and lack trust in other actors (Mearsheimer 1994). Therefore, this makes it difficult for states to entrust in the WHO to solve international issues such as a global pandemic because they think that it will have a small factor in creating international stability. Furthermore, in Axelrod’s (1984) piece, he says that states are only likely to cooperate if they fear retaliation from another actor (Axelrod’s 1984). Since the WHO provides no incentive for states to cooperate with COVID-19 regulations, they are less likely to abide by their rules and instead enforce their own measures.
An Explanation for the Problem
An Explanation for the Problem
Figure 1. NGO Partnership (Human Rights Careers 2022)
There is no substitute for cooperation between NGOs and IOs in solving international crises and issues. According to Tallberg et al. (2015), NGOs can provide useful and utile advice to decision-makers during the policy access. Besides, NGOs are crucial actors that promote social justice and help with humanitarian/relief-oriented (Human Rights Careers 2022). Therefore, for IOs, the help of NGOs is necessary when driving the work process.
This is the defect that WHO has. The most palpable problem of WHO is they are lacking NGO partners to help them promote their professional advice and knowledge in different states and regions. As we can see in the chart, the UNESC and UNESCO have hundreds, even
thousands of NGO partners. Nonetheless, in the winter of 2021, when the Covid-2019 epidemic was at its worst, there were only 71 NGO partners of WHO. Therefore, there is no way for NGOs to promote humanitarian aid and relief-oriented during the peak of the pandemic crisis. Finally, because of the absence of a wide range of NGO partners and the lack of enforcement, the COVID is becoming increasingly serious.
Figure 2. World Health Organization Coronavirus Dashboard
Proposed Solutions
A successful case of cooperation between the WHO and other NGOs is the Global Action Plan. This is an NGO that includes a collaboration between the WHO, Global Financing Facility, and International Labor Organizations cooperate to provide widespread primary health care, make
Figure 3. Global Targets 2025
financing health more sustainable, and increase community engagement. However, this case isn't sufficient in solving problems with solving the WHO’s scope because the GAP has not been able to implement the right incentives to sustain collaboration between these organizations in the long run. Therefore, one way for states to cooperate with the WHO is to make sure that it collaborates with other NGOs or IOs to provide better incentives for states, to want to cooperate with their recommendations and policies. For instance, it can provide economic incentives to make states comply with their policies.
Another solution may be partnerships with Transnational Advocacy Networks to focus on issues surrounding compliance with COVID-19 regulations and using the naming and shaming tactic to ensure that pay more attention to public health issues.
References
References
Axelrod, Robert, and Robert O. Keohane. 1985. "Achieving Cooperation Under Anarchy: Strategies And Institutions." World Politics 38(1): 226-254.
Mearsheimer, John J. 1994. "The False Promise Of International Institutions." International Security 19(3): 5.
Tallberg, Jonas, Lisa M. Dellmuth, Hans Agné, and Andreas Duit. 2015. "NGO Influence In International Organizations: Information,
"What Are Typical NGO Activities?." 2022. Human Rights Careers. https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/what-are-typical-ngo-activities/
(20 February 2022).
"WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard." 2022. Covid19.who.int. https://covid19.who.int/ (20 February 2022).
“World Health Organization: About.” https://www.who.int/about. 2022
Chart data from Figure 1:
"Engagement With Non-State Actors.." 2022. WHO. https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB15 0/B150_39-en.pdf (25 February 2022).
"NGOs And Foundations." 2022. UNESCO. https://en.unesco.org/node/336733 (25 February 2022).
"NGO Branch | Economic And Social Council." 2022. Un.org. https://www.un.org/ecosoc/en/ngo (25 February 2022).
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