WORLD WEALTH

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 143, 3 April 1950, Page 2

WORLD WEALTH

SIX MAJOR SCHEMES PLANS OF ORGANISATION “It is perfectly clear now that the world can no longer' get along just by drifting without any type of co-ordination covering the whole world. The United Nations represents an attempt to provide this kind of co-ordination in the most peaceful way possible with • as little interference as possible With national policies and the ways of living that particular people have in their own countries. However, I think everyone recognises now that it is necessary for all nations to co-operate and coordinate to a certain minimum extent at least,” said' Dr. Brock Chisholm, Director-General of the World Health Organisation, in a broadcast address last night. “The function of the World Health Organisation is to assist countries in improving their own health services. The organisation does this by a decentralised system which is not yet complete, but is in the process of development. At the present time there are • fully functioning regional organisations for the Americans, where the Pan-American Sanitary Organisation acts as a regional office for W.H.0.; in the Eastern Mediterranean, where a headquarters is set up in Alexandria, and in South-east Asia, with a headquarters in Delhi. Other parts of the world are not yet covered by fully developed regional offices, but in Europe and in the Western Pacific small offices have been established to begin the co-ordination of work in those areas. No office has yet been established for Africa. In every case the regional offices are staffed by a group who are concerned* with particular aspects of health work. - Six Major Subjects ■“Perhaps the most significant thing about the World Health Organisation itself is the definition of health which is the first statement in the constitution, which has been signed by 69 nations. In that statement, health is defined very clearly as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.’ This definition is highly significant. It indicates a recognition on the part of the nations of the world that the requirements of individuals have changed drastically in recent years. At the first World Health Assembly, held a year and a half ago, the nations decided that they would give priority to six major subjects. These are .malaria control, tuberculosis control, venereal disease control, maternal and child health, environmental sanitation, and nutrition. The decision to undertake these particular activities does not mean that the World Health Organisation can do these things alone. Tne World Health Organisation is not gping to into ' ah countries to clear up malaria, nor tuberculoris, nor anything else.

v 4 l n such fields as malaria control, the major co-operation is between the Food and Agriculture Oi'ganisation and the World Health Organisation. Wherever there are large areas suffering from malaria extensively, the productivity of the people is very low. There are large areas in the world where people are consuming food and where the land capable of producing much food is not doing so because of a highly malarious population. The Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation are cooperating, and will in the future cooperate, to clear up malaria in these areas and to. help the people to undertake agricultural methods so that they may become food exporting areas rather than food consuming areas.

“Another area of extensive co-opera-tion is between the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, and the World Health Organisation. U.N.1.C.E.F., as it is called, is a body which is set up by a resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations. It is not a specialised agency of the United Nations, but directly responsible to the General Assembly. It depends on voluntary contributions from Governments, institutions, individuals, and is particularly concerned with health work and • welfare work for children anywhere in the world. “For instance, U.N.1.C.E.F., jointly with the Scandinavian Red Crosses has undertaken a very extensive campaign for the vaccination of millions of children by BGG—a vaccine which gives a certain degree of immunity or at least raises the immunity against tuberculosis infection. In many other ways the ©World Health Organisation and U.N.I.C.E.F. work together. Wherever U.N.I.C.E/F. undertakes programmes of welfare or health , for children the World Health Organisation provides the technical controls and advisory services to see that the work is kept on a high academic sound basis. Plan to Develop Countries “There is a great plan afoot now, on the part of United Nations, to undertake an extensive drive for economic development of the underdeveloped countries. It is hoped that there will be, before the end of this year, a lot of money made available for this purpose. Of the money that will go to the United Nations from many nation's of economic development or under-developqd countries, the World Health Organisation will be responsible for the expenditure of 22 per cent. This money will be used for assistance to countries in handling the problems that go with economic development,' particularly problems of housing, problems of health in relation to a population which is changing from a rural population to an industrial population, and many other aspects of the problems which are inherent in rapid industrialisation and economic development of countries.

“The Unitejrl Nations has determined on an extensive programme in this direction. The World Health Organisation is committed \to giving assistance in every possible way. The World Health Organisation, of course, is only the nations that support it. The member nations of the World Health Oi’ganisation will be asked to give every conceivable support in money and in personnel so that the high destinies of this organisation may be fulfilled and so that it may do its job—a job that has been determined and decided on by the nations themselves,” said Dr. Chisholm.