The EC DG INTPA - World Health Organization partnership in the new global health order

ISSUE: The 2022 EU global health strategy recognizes health as a global common good and sets twenty guiding principles, including the need to support a stronger, effective and accountable WHO as the indispensable cornerstone of the multilateral health system. DESCRIPTION: Mixed-methods study using documentary, quantitative, and qualitative analyses to answer two questions: 1) Is the current EC DG INTPA-WHO partnership adequate to support the role envisaged for WHO in the new EU global health strategy)? and 2) How should the EC-DG INTPA-WHO partnership be restructured?. Documentary analysis includes review of academic literature, historical/contemporary documentation on EC-WHO collaboration agreements, monitoring reports of DG INTPA funded interventions since 2016, and selected WHO projects since 2010. Key informant in-depth interviews are conducted with 10 EC senior officials. Guided by results-oriented monitoring frameworks, we analyse interview notes/transcripts and key documents using NVIVO software. Projects are classified by geographic areas and mapped against priorities outlined in the strategy. RESULTS: WHO's essential role to provide global public health goods is hampered by insufficient authority and core funds to implement its constitutional mandate. As EU member states see the value of holding a common position, the EU can increase its political role in global health. The EC focusses on specific health threats while also adopting a health system strengthening approach including longstanding collaboration between WHO and the Directorate General for International Partnerships. With remarkable overall achievements, a clear pattern of strengths and weaknesses emerges with key cross cutting areas where the EU has extensive expertise to be strengthened (e.g., evaluation, visibility, inequality markers). LESSONS: Supporting the development of monitoring and evaluation frameworks could be useful to enhance the visibility and added value of the EC DG INTPA /WHO partnership. KEY MESSAGES: • As a new global health order emerges, the EU must contribute to shape it through a more strategic, coordinated, and effective cooperation with WHO. • To enhance the EC DG INTPA/WHO partnership it is important to support the development of visibility strategies, as well as the further development of monitoring and evaluation frameworks.