The Commission’s objective is to make the WHO stronger and more effective in taking the lead in pandemic preparedness and response. Member states will have to give the director-general the resources and power to lead. Given the imminent succession process, member states should also consider carefully the qualities and authority of the next director-general. We need the WHO to be swift and decisive, with the resources and capability to lead other agencies in executing outbreak response and the authority to hold national governments to account. These responsibilities require strong, visible, empowered leadership from the director-general.
There are also changes required beyond the WHO, including better coordination of international responses and across the UN system. Failures of coordination undermined the response to Ebola. The WHO needs to establish more effective communication and collaboration mechanisms with the rest of the UN system, including escalation arrangements when a pandemic evolves into a broader humanitarian crisis. The WHO should also formalize coordination efforts with regional organizations and nonstate actors such as the private sector and nongovernmental organizations.