World Health Organization

Citation

(2009), "World Health Organization", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 22 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2009.06222aab.001

World Health Organization

Article Type: News and views From: International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Volume 22, Issue 1

WHO’s 60th anniversary

Edited by Jo Lamb-White

Keywords: Global healthcare, Public health development, Primary healthcare

As part of WHO’s 60th anniversary celebrations, a photo exhibit was featured around the world in 2008. Based on the anniversary theme of “Our health, our future”, the exhibit tells the story of WHO and public health over the last 60 years, highlighting major milestones and challenges for the future. The exhibit was available for countries and regions to use during key regional/country activities and events. Other related products included a brochure and poster in all the six UN languages.

This was an ambitious project where for the first time in history; people from all over the world were invited during the same hour, to take a photo that captures their health. Within the same 60 minutes, people documented their personal wellbeing, the health of their families, their communities, the people who provided their care and the places where they received it, as well as the difficulties many faced in accessing essential health services.

The theme of World Health Day this year was “Protecting health from climate change”. This theme was selected recognizing that global climate change is posing ever-growing threats to public health security. World Health Day consisted of a press briefing in Geneva by the WHO Director-General. The global event was supported by other activities and events in regions, countries and communities around the world.

A compilation of historical audio and interviews featured the founding of WHO and other public health milestones.

A video presentation was featured at the World Health Assembly that paid a fitting tribute to WHO’s 60th anniversary. The video brought together leading figures, as well as people of all ages, race, gender and countries to breathe life into the WHO Constitution and offer inspiring views, perspectives and wishes for the future of health. It was available for countries and regions for their use during key regional/country activities and events.

A new series of Global Health Histories lunchtime seminars for 2008 had been arranged with support from the Wellcome Trust and the Wellcome Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London. The seminars were held in the WHO library’s main meeting room.

60th anniversary publications

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  How Public Health Changed the World: 60 Years of WHO. This 150-page book will tell the story of public health achievements in eight major areas from the eradication of smallpox to outbreak response. It will also highlight WHO’s role in these achievements.

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  Getting the Message across: 60 Years of Public Health Campaigns. This coffee-table book, presented public health posters over the last 60 years from across the world with outstanding graphics and brief explanatory texts in all six UN languages.

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  A history of WHO. This independent work by three historians was published outside of WHO.

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  Public Health Classics. These comprised a series of groundbreaking public health papers, each accompanied by commentary on the significance of the paper today. Taken from the Bulletin of the World Health Organization over the last few years.

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  Third 10 Years of WHO. The official history of WHO in the 1970s (1968-1977), sequels the existing official volumes that cover the first two decades of the World Health Organization. An eminent historian, Socrates Litsios, who is a retired WHO senior scientist, has been commissioned to write this history.

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  World Health Report 2008 on Primary Health Care. The World Health Report 2008, with the title Now More than Ever calls for a renewal and reinvigoration of primary health care (PHC), 30 years after the historic Declaration of Alma Ata on PHC. The report highlights key reasons why this is more important now, and has a greater chance of success than at any time since. The report also offers a diagnosis of global health today, and explains how primary health care - with a renewed emphasis on the values of equity and social justice - offers the best response to the complex combination of challenges and opportunities that exist today.

For more information: www.who.int