4.2.1 Leadership, governance and external relations enhanced to implement GPW 13, drive impact in an aligned manner at the country level, on the basis of strategic communications and in accordance with the SDGs in the context of United Nations reform

Achievements and challenges

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO has continued to engage in diplomacy at the global and regional levels. WHO signed a memorandum of understanding with the Union for the Mediterranean; the Director-General participated in G20 ministerial meetings, the Munich Security Conference and the Paris Peace Forum; and WHO expanded its engagement with the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organisation Internationale de la francophonie and the Alliance for Multilateralism.

WHO guided work on a new United Nations General Assembly resolution to encourage observation of an International Day of Epidemic Preparedness; engaged in the special session of the United Nations General Assembly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and co-chaired the United Nations Biorisk Working Group and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Task Team on Leaving No-One Behind. WHO also steered the United Nations Postal Administration issuance of stamps to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of smallpox eradication.

WHO co-led implementation of the Global action plan for healthy lives and well-being for all, which expanded to 37 countries across all WHO regions in 2020, and host its Secretariat. WHO strengthened its ability support countries by establishing the special programme on primary health care, and the first progress report on the action plan was released in September 2020.

In coordination with WHO country teams, country case studies were produced about the challenges of and the lessons learned from the pandemic.  WHO’s presence report was finalized with data from 149 country offices, reflecting the Organization’s role in helping to achieve targets agreed in GPW 13 and in galvanizing efforts to respond to national and global health challenges. WHO also established a three-level policy dialogue on strategic, technical and operational issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including on vaccines, the COVID-19 strategic preparedness and response plan, and United Nations reform.

To ensure the continuation of essential health services and to accelerate the delivery of results planned for this biennium, WHO launched what is known as internal boost, which strengthens the capacity of WHO country offices by providing virtual attachments of staff from headquarters for 3 to 6 months at 50% time. Additionally, the Deputy Director-General, Ministers of Health, WHO Representatives and Regional Office Directors of Programme Management collaborated to improve support to countries that are implementing the special initiative to reduce maternal mortality and achieve SDG targets. In 2020, the initiative – which fully embeds the gender, equity and human rights dimension – grew from 7 to 10 countries in 3 regions.

In 2020, all WHO governance meetings were held successfully, including the Executive Board and Health Assembly. These virtual meetings, including the innovative approach to managing the agendas, have been referred to as best in class by peers at the United Nations and other intergovernmental organizations. Also, official correspondence, which increased substantially as a result of the pandemic, was managed effectively and efficiently, and Member States were kept informed  about the pandemic through weekly information sessions.

WHO governing bodies and those of the Codex Alimentarius (or “food code”), International Agency for Research on Cancer and various hosted partnerships were supported by the Office of the Legal Counsel. The Office also supported work specific to COVID-19, including designing the COVAX no-fault compensation programme, providing legal support for the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) review committee and the IHR (2005) emergency committee on COVID-19, and representing WHO on the COVAX task force on liability and indemnification. The Office played a key role in establishing the independent commission to review allegations of sexual harassment and abuse in the context of the response to the tenth Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Office also developed new delegations of authority, including performance indicators for those in senior leadership and director  roles.

Strategic communications were coordinated across the Organization to tailor guidance and messages to audiences in specific regions and countries. In the European Region, the strategic communications plan built understanding of and momentum for the European Programme of Work 2020–2025. The Regional Office for South-East Asia enhanced its media capacities and added new partnerships and channels, contributing to substantial increases in media engagement, visitors to WHO websites and followers on social media. The Regional Office for the Americas strengthened its visibility during the COVID-19 response by holding more than 375 press conferences, engaging in new partnerships with Global Citizen and Sony Music Latin, and participating in events and campaigns with Sesame Street, the World Economic Forum and Univision. The Regional Office for the Western Pacific adopted Communication for health, which uses communication principles and evidence-informed processes to change attitudes and behaviours.

Regional committees met virtually in regular session and in a special session to address issues of equity in the access to COVID-19 vaccines. The African Region’s regional and country offices led and coordinated with health partners to drive achievement of the strategic goals of the GPW 13. In the Region of the Americas, a strategic initiative with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean was established to address COVID-19 and sustainable development. The Regional Office for the Americas engaged with international financial institutions to support countries’ purchases of COVID-19 vaccine and other relevant tools; and engaged in dialogue with the region’s intergovernmental mechanisms to develop an aligned response to health issues, particularly those affecting migrant and indigenous communities and people of African descent. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, senior-level decision-makers were engaged through innovative platforms, including ministerial and technical advisory committees. In the European Region, WHO’s country activities were aligned with national health priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework through new Biennial Collaborative Agreements, Country Cooperation Strategies, and a new cooperation framework with the European Union Commission and European Union Committee of the Regions. In the South-East Asia Region, country offices played key roles in United Nations team meetings and decision- making, particularly those addressing SDG topics related to health, COVID-19 and the continuation of essential health services. In the Western Pacific Region, WHO supported the implementation of Member States’ emergency plans, which were based on the Asia Pacific strategy for emerging diseases and public health emergencies, while ensuring that important key work continued, for example, in noncommunicable diseases and ageing, climate change, environment and health, and reaching the unreached. All regional offices provided support and advice to Member States to aid them in obtaining COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility.