Caroline Bollars’s work has brought her around 2 continents, from field offices and Small Island Developing States to WHO/Europe in Copenhagen, Denmark, WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and finally the WHO Representation Office to the European Union (WEU) in Brussels, Belgium. From EU health policy to strategic country support, she’s worked in several health-related fields throughout her career. In this interview, she talks about her experience with WHO and her passion for new challenges.
What drives you in your work?
The feeling that I can contribute to change, knowing that my contribution is valuable for the people we’re serving – everyday citizens. It’s the awareness that behind policy and evidence you have real people and real health issues.
You’ve had quite a WHO journey! Tell us about it.
I’ve come to know the Organization on all levels. Having studied public health and worked on research-focused projects on HIV/AIDS in South Africa and Tanzania, and with the Flemish Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Belgium, I was, of course, well aware of WHO and its work. One day, I noticed a vacancy for a technical officer for nutrition. I applied, got the job and joined WHO in April 2009. The position was at WHO/Europe in Copenhagen, and I fell in love with the city.
But you didn’t stay in Denmark?
I’ve always been a person who likes new challenges. I did love Copenhagen and my job, but being both driven and curious, I applied for 2 really interesting posts, one in Fiji and the other in Samoa, and I got selected for both! It was a tough choice, but I decided to take the job where I felt my contribution and expertise would be most needed. So, I found myself on a plane to Samoa in August 2013.
The WHO Office in Samoa also covered American Samoa, Niue, the Cook Islands and Tokelau, which at the time had the highest prevalence of obesity in the world. There was a lot of exciting work to be done with local health systems, translating WHO’s global evidence into contextualized action on the ground. One example is PEN Fa’a Samoa, an initiative that adapts the WHO Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions (PEN) to local Samoan contexts through village health activities. It’s led by local women to promote person-centred primary health care. Fa’a Samoa means “the Samoan way of life”.
This is getting very geographical. How did you end up in Brussels?
After some time in Samoa, I returned to Copenhagen to work as a strategic desk officer, working closely with the Member States we serve. From there, I moved on to WHO headquarters in Geneva as a public health specialist, leading on WHO country cooperation strategies and supporting WHO country offices in their work with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, while also working on a PhD in public health. After a few twists, in 2022 I moved to work for WEU.
Back in the Brussels bubble! What exactly do you, and WEU, do?
WEU is actually quite particular, and it’s an incredibly dynamic place to work. We make sure the relationship between the EU and WHO is institutionalized and ongoing, and that new partnerships are formed. This means we’re constantly working together to identify common priorities in the area of health, for Europe but also on a global level.
We work together on important policy files, such as the pharmaceutical legislation which is now under revision, and on health emergencies response and humanitarian crisis situations. We alert our WHO colleagues of new policy developments in Brussels, and here I’m referring to the European Commission, the European Parliament and Member States’ representations. Often, it’s about picking up the phone, talking to people, making sure information is passed on where it’s needed and identifying opportunities for cooperation.
WHO turns 75 this year. Do you have a favourite health milestone?
With my background in noncommunicable diseases, and remembering vividly the days when smoking was still allowed in the European Parliament corridors, my obvious favourite is the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. It entered into force in 2005 and it’s really quite amazing – it’s one of the most rapidly embraced treaties in United Nations history, it’s been ratified by 180 countries, and it’s been fundamental in providing a global response to what is nothing less than a tobacco epidemic to protect people’s health.
How do you take care of your own health?
I think being happy, striving for happiness, keeps you healthy. And in Copenhagen, of course, I learned to cycle everywhere, and that’s something I still do.
Last question. If you could have dinner with someone, present or historical, who would that be?
That’s easy: Nelson Mandela, without any doubt. Even as a child, I was intrigued by Africa. I remember having all these questions about apartheid, the fundamental causes of evil and inequity, and, of course, I read his book, “Long walk to freedom”. There are very few people as inspirational as him.
WHO Representation Office to the European Union (WEU)
- Number of staff: 6
- WHO Representative to the European Union: Dr Oxana Domenti
- WEU is located in Brussels, Belgium. It plays a critical role in steering WHO’s strategic partnership with the EU in close collaboration with WHO headquarters and the WHO regional and country offices.
- WEU works with the EU on global health issues, including in the areas of health security, health systems strengthening, health promotion, noncommunicable diseases, mental health, climate and health, and research.