title: The Global Role of the World Health Organization.
abstract: The 21stcentury global health landscape requires effective global action in the face of globalization of trade, travel, information, human rights, ideas, and disease. The new global health era is more plural, comprising a number of key actors, and requiring more coordination of effort, priorities and investments. The World Health Organization (WHO) plays an essential role in the global governance of health and disease; due to its core global functions of establishing, monitoring and enforcing international norms and standards, and coordinating multiple actors toward common goals. Global health governance requires WHO leadership and effective implementation of WHO's core global functions to ensure better effectiveness of all health actors, but achieving this global mission could be hampered by narrowing activities and budget reallocations from core global functions.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor at Yale University, former Health Economist and Presidential Speechwriter at the World Bank and former member and health and development satellite secretariat of WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland's Transition Team.
authors.forename: Jennifer Prah
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Ruger
authors.affiliation: Director of Global Health Policy at PepsiCo and past Executive Director at WHO.
authors.forename: Derek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yach
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