Non Governmental Global Health Organizations

Global Health Actors

The global health landscape is characterized by a variety of prominent actors, each with distinct yet intertwined roles in promoting health, preventing disease, and managing health crises worldwide. The United Nations (UN) works towards international peace and security, fostering friendly relations among nations, and promoting social progress, better living standards, and human rights, which inherently includes health. Its specialized agency, the World Health Organization (WHO), is explicitly committed to promoting health, keeping the world safe, and serving the vulnerable. It has led significant strides in disease eradication and prevention, including the eradication of smallpox and near-eradication of polio, and is a major actor in global health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. National governmental health agencies like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the UK's Public Health England (PHE) work to safeguard their respective nations' health, preventing and managing disease outbreaks and health emergencies, and promoting healthier lifestyles. Nongovernmental health organizations, such as Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF) and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, also play essential roles. These organizations can often fill gaps not covered by governmental bodies and offer vital healthcare services in crises, promote healthcare research, and aim to eliminate specific diseases globally.

The DNP Essentials illustrate the importance of understanding and working within the global health environment. Essential II, "Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Improvement and Systems Thinking," is especially pertinent, as these organizations must continually strive for better health outcomes and navigate complex health systems. Essential VI, "Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes," is also highly relevant, as these actors must collaborate across disciplines and sectors to tackle global health challenges. Essential VIII, "Advanced Nursing Practice," emphasizes the role of advanced practice nurses in these contexts, using their skills to promote health and wellness at both individual and population levels.

This paper begins with a detailed exploration of the United Nations and the World Health Organization, discussing their roles, formation, and significant accomplishments. It then describes two national governmental health agencies, the CDC and PHE. It then discusses the nongovernmental health organizations, Doctors Without Borders and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

United Nations (UN)

Founded in 1945 after the end of WW2, the United Nations was established with the primary goal being to maintain international peace and security (Thakur, 2016). War had greatly caused much of the world to suffer, and the UN’s aim was to prevent any such thing from happening again. It also sought to be a body of government by which friendly relations among nations could be fostered. To that end, there were numerous UN conventions that established rules by which member nations were expected to govern themselves. Other ends included the promotion of social progress, better living standards, and human rights.

Over its history, the UN has accomplished a number of different objectives. One of its big goals was to end colonization, and to date it has successfully helping more than 80 colonies gain independence; creating a framework to respond to global crises and conflicts (the UN Peacekeeping Forces were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988); launching the Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty and protect the planet; and coordinating humanitarian aid during crises and disasters worldwide (Harff, 2018).

Over its nearly eight-decade history, the United Nations has made numerous and significant accomplishments. It has been involved in over 70 peacekeeping missions worldwide, helping manage or end conflicts and facilitating the post-conflict reconstruction process. One of its landmark achievements is the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 by the UN General Assembly. This document laid down the foundation of fundamental human rights that ought to be universally protected.

World Health Organization (WHO)

The World Health Organization was established on April 7, 1948, as a specialized agency of the United Nations with the primary goal of promoting health and serving vulnerable populations. The primary goal of the WHO is to direct and coordinate authority on health within the UN system, aiming to lead partners in global health responses.

One of the major early accomplishments of the WHO was the eradication of smallpox. Smallpox was an infectious disease that had a significant mortality rate and caused severe illness in those who survived. The eradication campaign ran from 1967 to 1980, with the WHO declaring smallpox eradicated on May 8, 1980. This marked the first disease that had been eradicated by human effort. Additionally, the WHO has also been instrumental in the near-eradication of polio. Polio, short for poliomyelitis, is a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. The WHO launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, and since then, the incidence of polio has decreased by over 99%. Only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, continue to experience wild poliovirus transmission.

The organization has also made substantial strides in controlling other communicable diseases. It launched the "3 by 5" initiative in 2003, which aimed to provide three million people living with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries with antiretroviral treatment by the end of 2005 (Van Damme et al., 2006). It has been leading the battle against Ebola, with its Health Emergencies Programme working with countries to strengthen their abilities to prevent and respond to outbreaks. Plus, the WHO has been pivotal in the fight against malaria, a life-threatening disease transmitted through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It has been providing a wide range of tools to prevent, diagnose and treat malaria, contributing to a significant reduction in malaria cases and deaths. During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO played a crucial role in coordinating the global response, providing timely information and guidelines, supporting research efforts, and working to ensure equitable access to diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines.

National Governmental Health Agencies

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - USA

The CDC was established in 1946 with the goal to protect public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability in the US and internationally.

Among its major accomplishments, the CDC played a vital role in eliminating polio from the United States, implemented the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, and has consistently been at the forefront of public health crises including the AIDS/HIV epidemic, the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public Health England (PHE) - UK

Public Health England was established in 2013 to protect and improve the nation's health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities (Keys et al., 2021). It was replaced in 2021 by the UK Health Security Agency. Despite its relatively short existence, PHE played a significant role in managing public health crises in England, including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, developed crucial health campaigns such as "Change4Life" and "Stoptober", and implemented strategies to reduce health inequalities.

Nongovernmental Organizations and Social Movements Strategies

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF)

Founded in 1971, Doctors Without Borders provides emergency medical aid in areas where it's needed most, including conflict zones, and in response to epidemics and natural disasters (Fox, 1995). Notable accomplishments include winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 for their humanitarian work around the world. MSF has also been a leader in treating war wounds, malnutrition, and infectious diseases like Ebola and providing psychological support to people in crisis situations.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Established in 2000, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's goal is to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty globally, and to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology in the U.S. (Tang, 2016). The foundation has made significant contributions to global health, including a commitment to eradicating malaria and polio. It has also invested billions in initiatives aimed at improving public health in developing countries, and in research and development of new healthcare interventions, such as new vaccines and drugs.