Dr Nata Menabde. Candidate for WHO Regional Director for Europe. Excellence for Health and Equity

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1 Dr Nata Menabde Candidate for WHO Regional Director for Europe Excellence for Health and Equity

2 A message from Dr Nata Menabde With this message, I would like to let you know of my candidacy for the position of Regional Director for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO). health effects of the global financial and economic crisis contrast with the finite nature of the resources available and call for doing things differently. Public health in Europe is at a very important juncture. The continued dedication and commitment of Member States with the support of the international community has led to significant improvements in health and quality of life for citizens in the Region. There is an unprecedented degree of consensus on key aspects of health and health systems. Foundational values equity, solidarity, participation are being reinforced; focus on disease prevention and treatment, health system performance is being maintained; threats pandemic influenza, climate change threats health insecurity are being combated. The road ahead is still a rocky one. The health status of populations and the strength of national health systems vary greatly across the Region. The daunting potential As Regional Director, I will visit, I will listen and I will continue to learn from the wealth of best practice around the Region. I will support Member States that face barriers and challenges preventing them from improving the health of their populations. During my three years as Deputy Regional Director, I witnessed first hand the many complex roles the Regional Director must embrace. Just to name four of the most important, the Regional Director must firstly provide high-quality leadership in health policy and delivery of health goals. Secondly, serve and be guided by the Member States in the Region. Thirdly, ensure that the Regional Office is fit for purpose and delivers its work to a consistently high standard. Fourthly, play a full part in WHO s global corporate management team.

3 The Regional Director for the WHO Europe must have a deep understanding of what different countries value and how they relate to and communicate with each other in a diverse and complex geopolitical environment. I am Georgian by nationality, with Russian and Latvian ethnic roots, but find myself a citizen of the world by training and residence. I therefore have been exposed to very diverse experiences that shall prove valuable in carrying out changes within and through WHO. If elected, I will pursue an agenda of driving excellence in the Organization geared to delivering improved health indicators in every Member State and a faster transition toward greater social equity in the Region as a whole. The prescription for excellence includes elements such as structured processes to identify, document and share best practices across the entire Region; a framework for continued cooperation with other agencies and stakeholders; and a relentless focus on measuring effectiveness and efficiency to guarantee progress. My WHO tenure has provided a unique vantage to gauge the potential of the Organization. I am convinced that if my plan is implemented with enthusiasm and the invaluable input from WHO staff and from Member States, WHO can turn its challenges into opportunities for better health in the Region. I invite you to review the remaining pages of this document, where I have spelled out my programme for change and a series of initiatives I am committed to launching in my first months as Regional Director. I thank you for your time and I ask for your vote in the upcoming elections. Dr Nata Menabde "I will pursue excellence in WHO Europe to drive improved health and social equity"

4 Vision for WHO Europe: Excellence Nata Menabde suggests a two-pronged ciency of services to fostering patients Cooperation with the European In Europe, health is recognised as valuable in itself but also as a driver of social cohesion and regional stability. Glaring health gaps between countries in the Region pose a risk to that stability and therefore place equity atop the WHO Europe s agenda. approach, as set out below. I. A Public Health Ambition 1. Improving population health via a concerted public health effort throughout and citizens satisfaction in primary health care-based health systems leading to health gain. Quality in service delivery, health system governance and financing and health workforce- related issues will be in focus. Community (European Union member states and institutions), other United Nations agencies ( one UN ), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Global Fund for Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria, civil Excellence in action can bridge those gaps while making the best possible use of our limited resources. By identifying and implementing best practices, driving economies of scale wherever possible and streamlining wasteful processes, equitable outcomes are more likely to be accomplished. the Region with emphasis on health promotion, disease prevention and the social determinants of health, on the one hand, and on quality of care on the other. A thorough evaluation of recent achievements and of lessons learnt will be carried out and applied to health interventions in countries and the Region when 3. Scaling up knowledge, sharing best practices and policy transfer between countries could supplement the advice by WHO. Networks of designated Centres of Policy Excellence and Regional Experts proposed by countries would facilitate such exchange and intercountry collabo- society and other stakeholders. This approach would promote the involvement of Member States while refraining from imposing or restricting the actions of partners. 5.Enhancing the WHO Europe s leadership role and anticipating the public Improvements in equity require an ongoing focus on countries specificity (i.e. different resources, values and realities) alongside greater political, technical and developmental collaboration among Member States. addressing key health challenges such as HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases, public health crises and noncommunicable health conditions and risk factors (tobacco, alcohol, etc), among others. ration. The WHO Europe will serve as a clearing house in selected fields and ensure continuity and coherence. In parallel, the European research agenda in health and health systems will be set. health agenda for the next decade. This will include implementing the International Health Regulations (2005) and discussing with all Member States precise public health goals, such as striving to eliminate malaria, measles 2. Better health system performance and 4. More constructive and fruitful partner- and rubella in the WHO European innovative responses to issues ranging ships will be fostered through the pur- Region, ensuring achievement of the from access to and utilization and effi- suit of a Joint Priority Framework of Millennium Development Goals, reduc-

5 for Health and Equity ing tobacco consumption and alcohol abuse, and reversing the trend in multidrug resistant tuberculosis. II. Organizational Agenda for WHO 1.Improving WHO s capacity to create, disseminate and use Health Intelligence will be a top priority. Based on robust health information systems, it will expand in all public health areas and focus on health system performance assessment for policy-making. Epidemiological surveillance will also be improved. The work of the European Observatory on Health Policies and Systems will be further tailored to priorities set by its partners and its impact on shaping policies will be increased. 2.Staff engagement and initiative will be improved by strengthening development and training, talent retention and attraction efforts and by promoting technical excellence and credibility. New evaluation practice and general management skills will be promoted in a climate of delegation of authority and accountability. Staff collaboration with WHO headquarters and other regions will be enhanced in order to ensure alignment and coherence with global processes. 3.Health programmes will continue combining thematic excellence and normative work with practical advice and technical support to countries. The health systems agenda will drive towards supporting member states in implementing the Tallinn Charter. A strategic approach will be pursued to improve working links between health systems and health programmes efforts. 4.WHO s country presence, in line with the principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, will continue to align its work with national health priorities, and harmonize it with the other members of the UN family and other health and development partners. Working links with countries without a WHO office will be specifically addressed. 5.WHO s working modalities will be adapted in order to ensure greater impact focusing even more sharply on setting standards, policy and strategy dialogue and technical advice while disengaging from less value-adding modalities. WHO s communication and crisis response capabilities will be boosted by initiatives such as a 24x7 hotline service. The focus on transparency and accountability will be enhanced, along with implementation of an effective resource mobilization strategy.

6 Commitments for the first months If elected, I commit to launch the following initiatives within my first months in Office and present them in the first Regional Committee in September 2010: 1. A special initiative to accelerate achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in all Member States 2. A five-point proposal for Member States to foster public health improvement in the WHO European Region 3. Measures to implement the recommendations of recent key reports and documents (e.g. the Commission on Social Determinants of Health and the Tallinn Charter) 4. An interactive process to share best practices among Member States 5. A Member States Communication Support Plan (including hotline, website, etc.) as part of the WHO Health Intelligence Service 6. A review of Office s work on noncommunicable diseases and environment (in Copenhagen and in geographically dispersed offices in Rome, Bonn and Athens) to ensure adequate capacity, coherence and policy alignment 7. A consultation with Member States on the experiences and the most appropriate ways of facing the economic crisis 8. A proposal to improve cooperation with the European Community (countries and institutions) in promoting the health agenda in Europe 9. Reaching out to international partners through an openended process to promote better coordination of the respective priorities and agendas (Joint Priority Framework of Cooperation) 10. A plan to ensure that WHO Europe is aligned and coherent with global corporate processes initiated by the WHO Director-General (e.g. revitalizing primary health care, eliminating poliomyelitis globally, building WHO leadership in public health), while giving impetus to the renewed implementation of WHO s global commitments as endorsed in the Medium Term Strategic Plan.

7 in Office In summary, I will put in place a specific, comprehensive and thoughtful foundation that will boost WHO Europe s performance excellence and capabilities while ensuring the alignment of global and regional priorities with the needs of European Member States. Excellence for Health and Equity About Nata Menabde, MSc, PhD Nationality: Georgian; Born: Riga, Latvia, 1960 Dr Nata Menabde has a solid public health academic background (MSc in pharmacy, PhD in pharmacology) and 25 years of experience as a health professional, during which she has built an extensive track record in public health and health systems at country and international levels. As a leader, she has proven her ability to instil a clear vision, effective teamwork and high performance in the organizations she has led. As the current Deputy Regional Director, she has a unique knowledge of WHO Europe, where she has tenaciously promoted strategic and results-based partnerships with other institutions. Dr Menabde is a dedicated member of WHO s global team and she has effectively supported implementation of changes introduced by the WHO Director-General in the Organization. Professionally, her accomplishments extend from the Georgian Ministry of Health to WHO, from spearheading effective humanitarian operations and modern pharmaceutical regulation in Georgia to greater efficiency of WHO Country Offices and upgraded institutional service to WHO s Member States. Since she took on her current position in 2006, Dr Menabde has vigorously promoted the primary care-based health systems agenda, culminating in adoption of the Tallinn Charter in June Her extensive public health agenda track record includes accomplishments in the areas of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, noncommunicable diseases and risk factors such as tobacco and obesity, climate change and other environmental concerns, the International Health Regulations and other aspects of health security, intellectual property rights and the social determinants of health. She has effectively chaired the Emergency Steering Committee. She also has successfully partnered with key stakeholders such as the Council of Europe, the European Union, the European Commission, UNICEF, the World Bank, OECD, the Global Fund, the European Investment Bank and others to increase the effectiveness of WHO s work.

8 Design and lay out: vandenboogaard [ontwerp f realisatie] - To learn more about Dr Menabde and her candidacy for WHO Regional Director in Europe, please visit