WHO Head: UN Needs Reforms

“The UN system must undergo reforms in line with the changing world.”“Elchi” reports that Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said this during his speech at a panel discussion held within the framework of the XIII Global Baku Forum.He stated that although the multilateral system has made some progress, some structures and governance mechanisms of the UN are still based on the post-World War II period when the organization was founded.The Director-General noted that large multilateral institutions are not known for agile and rapid decision-making. According to him, although the decision-making processes of member states form the basis of multilateral cooperation, these processes are often not fast.Ghebreyesus stated that global upheavals in recent years have spurred the faster implementation of some necessary reforms. According to him, some of these changes had started earlier, but the process was moving quite slowly.The WHO head recalled that when he started leading the organization in 2017, the most extensive reform program in the institution’s history was launched. Within this framework, it was identified that the organization’s excessive financial dependence on a small number of donors was a serious risk, and steps were taken to eliminate this.He noted that in 2022, WHO member states approved the gradual increase of the share of mandatory membership fees in the base budget from 14 percent to 50 percent.The Director-General added that member states have also initiated a governance reform process to improve the global health governance system.Ghebreyesus emphasized that the purpose of the reforms is not merely to protect institutions, but to maintain the capacity for collective action against common threats in a fragmented world.According to him, the success of the UN directly depends on the extent to which member states adhere to the organization’s charter and the rules they have adopted.“The UN has gained great trust over 80 years, but this trust must be re-earned every day. Everyone who believes in the UN must work to preserve this trust,” – the WHO head noted.