Date of Award

January 2025

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

School of Public Health

First Advisor

Alice Miller

Abstract

Despite its stated commitment to “health for all,” the World Health Organization (WHO) has long been subject to the influence of Member State politics. Specifically, the Organization’s state-based membership model and governance structure have continuously enabled powerful Member States to advance their political interests, leading to the exclusion and marginalization of populations based on the recognition or political status of their representatives. One such example is Taiwan, which has been repeatedly denied membership in the Organization despite the functional independence of its public health authority, leaving over 23 million people neglected amid two major health crises. These forms of exclusion and marginalization are in direct conflict with the WHO’s vision of “a world in which all peoples attain the highest possible level of health.” As such, the present paper advances a proposal for WHO reform, focusing specifically on expanding its membership model and restructuring its governance to improve representation and enhance equal participation. This reform is guided by a robust framework that integrates normative and procedural principles, drawing on the respective works of Samantha Besson and Andrew Kuper. In advancing this proposal, the present paper seeks to highlight the central role of the WHO in guiding a more inclusive and just approach toward global health governance, thus calling on all actors to commit to building “a world in which all peoples attain the highest possible level of health,” together.

Comments

This is an Open Access Thesis.

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