The power of partnerships: Brundtland’s vision for global health
Have You Heard of Gro Harlem Brundtland?
She is often regarded as the mother of Global Health Partnerships.
Born in 1939, Brundtland served as Norway’s Prime Minister 3 times and as the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) from 1998 to 2003. A physician by training, she became the first female Prime Minister of Norway. During her tenure, Norway became internationally recognized for its high proportion of female ministers, with nearly half (8 out of 18) of her cabinet members being women.
After resigning in 1996, Brundtland turned her focus to sustainable development and public health, and in 1998, she became the Director-General of the WHO.
Brundtland is widely credited with introducing the concept of public-private partnerships to global health. During her time at WHO, she stated, "Only through new and innovative partnerships can we make a difference." It was the end of the 1990s, and the global health partnerships we now know were still in their infancy.
She was a strong advocate for collaboration with the private sector, emphasizing in a 1998 WHO press release that, “We need open and constructive relations with the private sector and industry,” and believing that one of WHO's strategic objectives should be to “be more innovative in creating influential partnerships.” She also believed that “the health agenda is too big for WHO alone”, and partnerships were essential to advancing global health.
Brundtland argued that collaboration is a powerful tool to achieve objectives more efficiently and effectively. As she said in 1998, global health partnerships could "significantly enhance our ability to mobilize social, political, and financial support for health development and international health cooperation."
Under her leadership, a WHO Working Group was established to explore partnerships with the private sector. This approach was not without challenges, particularly the potential for undermining WHO's reputation for impartiality, given the involvement of pharmaceutical companies as partners. To address these concerns, WHO released guidelines in 1999 to manage its collaborations with healthcare companies within the context of global health partnerships.
She urged the global health community to reflect on the reality that those with financial resources often have a seat at the decision-making table. In response to those who insisted, “This is public health, we don’t want alliances with any private entity,” she emphasized the importance of viewing the economy as a whole, where the private sector plays a significant role. Engaging with and regulating the private sector, she argued, provides government officials with a valuable opportunity to drive their country’s development.
Under her leadership, WHO has entered a number of partnerships and Brundtland was recognized in 2003 by Scientific American as their 'Policy Leader of the Year' for coordinating a rapid worldwide response to stem outbreaks of SARS. Gro Harlem Brundtland transformed global health by championing public-private partnerships, recognizing that collaboration - when properly regulated - is essential for advancing public health and sustainable development. Her leadership at WHO laid the foundation for today’s global health partnerships, balancing innovation with integrity.
Sources:
Buse K., Walt G., 2000
Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General Elect, WHO Speech to the 51st World Health Assembly, Geneva, 13 May 1998
Gro Harlem Brundtland Speech Video