Statement of Dr. Nils Daulaire Nominee for Representative of the United States of America to the World Health Organization Executive Board

Senate Foreign Relations Committee
April 12, 2011

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Lugar, Members of the Committee,

It's a privilege and an honor to appear before you this morning, seeking your consent to serve as the United States Representative to the Executive Board of the World Health Organization. I am deeply honored and grateful for the confidence the President, Secretary Clinton, and Secretary Sebelius have placed in me.

My parents, who were immigrants to America, raised me with two basic principles: to give back to this country that had given them so many opportunities, and to make the most of an education that neither of them had been able to afford.

I took their guidance seriously and have devoted my career to service. I discovered my calling working in healthcare in low income countries as a medical student, and have worked in global health continuously for the past 35 years. My assignments have included service on behalf of the United States government in more than two dozen countries, as well as on the front lines of child health programs in places as varied as Nepal, Bangladesh, Mali and Haiti.

I have seen the importance of WHO – and the strengths and weaknesses of WHO – both on the ground and at the global level. I have been a member of the U.S. delegation to the World Health Assembly, both as a government official and as an NGO representative, over half a dozen times and have been part of the U.S. government's team at numerous international negotiations.

Through these experiences, I have concluded that without an effective WHO the world would be a more dangerous place. Global coordination related to pandemics and other outbreaks of infectious disease would be less effective; efforts to assure the quality, safety and efficacy of drugs and vaccines would be weakened; and national interests and ideologies rather than science and technical merit would guide how the world dealt with health threats.

Understanding the critical role that WHO plays, I intend to be a force for change and modernization of WHO – an institution formed more than sixty years ago that in many ways still reflects an earlier world. WHO needs to focus its activities on a few core elements of its mission. It is the world's lead technical agency for health, setting norms and standards for the classification of disease, convening experts to develop evidence-based guidance, and translating and disseminating data and information as the foundation of sound policy-making at the national level. It is also the lead UN body for health security, including coordination of the implementation of the International Health Regulations which work to protect all of us from disease outbreaks.

To be effective in these roles, WHO needs 21st century financial management and personnel systems, and, given the global economic situation, WHO's budget and program need to be more results-focused, fully transparent, and reflect the priorities established by its Executive Board and the World Health Assembly. Activities that are not core to its mission will need to be trimmed or eliminated.

If confirmed, I pledge to make sure that the resources the United States devotes to WHO are used to maximum benefit to address such pressing public health issues as pandemic influenza, the control and elimination of global infectious diseases such as polio, the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease, and the strengthening of health systems in low-income countries.

It would be an honor to serve in this position. If confirmed, I look forward to working with Members of Congress and this Committee, as well as colleagues throughout the Administration, on these critical issues.

I appreciate the Committee's time and will be happy to address any questions you may have.

Last revised: April 15, 2011