International Journal of Health Policy and Management

International Journal of Health Policy and Management

Reforming the World Health Organization: Agreement on Need but Not on Principles and Priorities

Articles in Press

Document Type : Viewpoint

Authors
David Bell 1
Elisabeth Paul 2
Garrett Wallace Brown 3
1 Independent Consultant, Lake Jackson, TX, USA
2 School of Public Health, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belguim
3 School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS), University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
Keywords
Reforming WHO
Health Sovereignty
Global Health Reform

The need for reform of the World Health Organization (WHO) is widely accepted. WHO has a financial crisis, with a budget gap this biennium of around 22%,1 currently being dealt with by a 25% cut in its headquarter budget and 14% cut for its six Regions. There is also a “crisis of trust,” and a wide perception of mission-creep with WHO’s area of interest becoming too broad.2  ...(Read more...)

1.               Anderson S. Nations Approve WHO Membership Fee Increase as US Exit Squeezes Budget - Health Policy Watch. Health Policy Watch. May 20, 2025. https://healthpolicy-watch.news/nations-approve-who-membership-fee-increase-as-us-exit-squeezes-budget/. Accessed September 3, 2026.
2.               Leclerc G. World Health Organization at a crossroads. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2026/789356/EPRS_BRI(2026)789356_EN.pdf. Published 2026. Accessed September 3, 2026.
3.               Sidik SM. How COVID has deepened inequality — in six stark graphics. Nature. June 22, 2022. https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-022-01647-6/index.html. Accessed September 3, 2026.
4.               Ahmed N, Marriott A, Dabi N, Lowthers M, Lawson M, Mugehera L. Inequality Kills: The unparalleled action needed to combat unprecedented inequality in the wake of COVID-19. Oxfam; 2022. https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/inequality-kills-the-unparalleled-action-needed-to-combat-unprecedented-inequal-621341/. Accessed September 3, 2026.
5.               Baker P, Bonnifield R, Keller JM. A Lean World Health Organization for the Global Good. https://www.cgdev.org/publication/lean-world-health-organization-global-good. Published July 10, 2025. Accessed September 3, 2026.
6.               International Health Reform Panel. The Right to Health Sovereignty: Technical Report. International Health Reform Panel; 2026. https://internationalhealthreformpanel.org/reports/the-right-to-health-sovereignty-technical-report-april-2026. Accessed September 3, 2026.
7.               Madhav NK, Oppenheim B, Stephenson N, et al. Estimated Future Mortality from Pathogens of Epidemic and Pandemic Potential. https://www.cgdev.org/publication/estimated-future-mortality-pathogens-epidemic-and-pandemic-potential. Published November 13, 2023. Accessed September 3, 2026.
8.               Jamison DT, Summers LH, Chang AY, et al. Global health 2050: the path to halving premature death by mid-century. Lancet. 2024;404(10462):1561-1614. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01439-9
9.               WHO. Non-pharmaceutical public health measures for mitigating the risk and impact of epidemic and pandemic influenza. WHO; 2019. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/non-pharmaceutical-public-health-measuresfor-mitigating-the-risk-and-impact-of-epidemic-and-pandemic-influenza. Accessed September 4, 2026.
10.           WHO. COVID-19 deaths | WHO COVID-19 dashboard. 2026.  https://data.who.int/dashboards/covid19/deaths. Accessed September 3, 2026.
11.           Shaw-Taylor L. An introduction to the history of infectious diseases, epidemics and the early phases of the long-run decline in mortality. Econ Hist Rev. 2020;73(3):E1-E19. doi:10.1111/ehr.13019
12.           Bell D, von Agris J, Annemans L, Tacheva B, Brown G. When Models and Reality Clash: A Review of Predictions of Epidemic and Pandemic Mortality. University of Leeds, REPPARE; 2024. https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/downloads/download/254/when-models-and-reality-clash-a-review-of-predictions-of-epidemic-and-pandemic-mortality. Accessed September 3, 2026.
13.           Bell D, Brown GW, von Agris J, Tacheva B. Urgent pandemic messaging of WHO, World Bank, and G20 is inconsistent with their evidence base. Glob Policy. 2024;15(4):689-707. doi:10.1111/1758-5899.13390
14.           Brown GW, Agris J von, Tacheva B, Bell D. An investment too good to be true?: Reassessing the World Health Organization and World Bank return-on-investment estimates for pandemic preparedness. Health Econ Policy Law. 2026.  doi:10.1017/S174413312610067X
15.           Gates B. Bill Gates explains “How to Prevent the Next Pandemic.” The Economist. May 7, 2022. https://www.economist.com/culture/bill-gates-explains-how-to-prevent-the-next-pandemic/21809103. Accessed September 3, 2026.
16.           Paul E, Tubeuf S, Brown GW, et al. Global health 2050: beyond the modular approach. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2026;15:9695. doi:10.34172/ijhpm.9695
17.           WHO. Programme Budget Web Portal. WHO Contributors. 2025.  https://open.who.int/2024-25/contributors/contributor. Accessed September 3, 2026.
18.           Paul E, Brown GW, Ridde V. COVID-19: time for paradigm shift in the nexus between local, national and global health. BMJ Glob Health. 2020;5(4):e002622. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002622
19.           Ridde V, Paul E, Foli R, Béland D. Making experts accountable in global health. BMJ Glob Health. 2026;11(7):e025094. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2026-025094
20.           Bell D, von Agris J, Tacheva B, Brown GW. Natural spillover risk and disease outbreaks: is over-simplification putting public health at risk? J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2025;15(1):65. doi:10.1007/s44197-025-00412-y
International Journal of Health Policy and Management

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 07 October 2026

  • Received Date 15 June 2026
  • Revised Date 15 September 2026
  • Accepted Date 30 September 2026
  • First Published Date 07 October 2026
  • Published Date 07 October 2026