The World Health Organization has been pummeled by sharp criticism after its initial slow response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa — so much so that reforms were deemed necessary.
A few weeks ago, WHO member states adopted a resolution that calls on the U.N. health agency to implement a slew of reforms. The goal is twofold: get Ebola cases in West Africa down to zero, and improve the overall capacity of the organization to respond to outbreaks and emergencies — a response no doubt to the inefficiencies member states found in WHO’s Ebola response.
But this is not the first time the health agency has tried to implement reforms. It is still in the middle of completing a sweeping reform agenda, which WHO has been struggling to fully implement, covering aspects such as staffing-to-program alignment, appointments of highly qualified people at regional and country level, and streamlined communication across the three levels of the organization. A number of these reforms are set to be completed by year’s end; others have just two more years.