WHO punches above its weight. Though hamstrung by a relatively small budget compared to its mandate, the UN’s only technical agency works across multiple normative and operational areas simultaneously.
Member states of WHO want to make this organization nimbler, notwithstanding the large UN bureaucracy that it really is.
A number of governance reforms directly linked to financing have been set in motion, flowing from the work towards sustainable financing of WHO.
From a new technical committee to streamline functioning of governing bodies, to better reporting requirements, from budgetary implications of new initiatives to closer scrutiny of top leadership, a slew of these proposals changes is now being discussed. Some stakeholders worry that in the name of efficiency, proposals could undermine the multilateral nature of the organization. But many admit an overhaul of how WHO conducts its business is long overdue.