New leader, new hope for WHO

doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7399.1100

BMJ 2003;326:1100-1101 (24 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7399.1100

Editorial

New leader, new hope for WHO

Setting an agenda for Jong-Wook Lee

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

In the mid-1990s the World Health Organization seemed doomedto either "flounder in a morass of petty corruption and ineffective bureacracy"¹ or to die.² Neither of these happened. Instead,Gro Harlem Brundtland, who took office as director generalin July 1998, restored the organisation's reputation as a credible force in global health.³ Last week the World Health Assemblyapproved Jong-Wook Lee as Brundtland's successor. Unlike Brundtland,Lee is not being charged with saving the organisation but withharnessing its potential to transform the lives of the poorest.There are four things he must do to help achieve this.

credit: WHO

Firstly, he must start to close the huge gap between what WHOis doing on the global stage and what is happening at countrylevel. Where Brundtland focused her energies and much of WHO'sresources on headquarters—a strategy that was usefulfor launching new, high profile public-private partnerships—Leemust think . . . [Full text of this article]

Gavin Yamey, deputy physician editor

Best Treatments (gyamey@bmj.com)

Kamran Abbasi, deputy editor

BMJ BMJ Unified, London WC1H 9JR

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Rapid Responses:

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Expectations from new Director General of WHO: Dinesh Kumar Sharma
bmj.com, 23 May 2003 [Full text]
politics before health for all?: Peter WS Chang
bmj.com, 25 May 2003 [Full text]