STAT: Focused projects can help Tedros restore confidence in the WHO
Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and chair of the Scientific Advisory Group for the WHO’s R&D Blueprint

“…This week, the WHO executive board meets in a special session to decide its strategy and program of work. … [W]hile universal health coverage is very important, [WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus] needs to pick a few other programs of work where it has the capacity to achieve more, and quickly. I would make the case for two priorities. First, make tangible progress on the health elements of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals. … Second, build a world that’s better prepared for emerging infectious diseases. … Take on these priorities, and show real measurable impact, and the WHO can rebuild its reputation as an organization that is a force for change, not one that papers over failures. The prize of a resulting increase in confidence in the WHO will be substantial: nothing less than restoring faith in multilateral partnerships at a time when there is a real danger of returning to more nationalistic and isolationist agendas…” (11/21).