6Įmboldened- perhaps by the successful eradication of smallpox- WHO launched the ambitious Alma Ata declaration for primary health care in 1978. 5 WHO rightly describes the achievement as among the most notable and profound public health successes in history. The world was declared free of smallpox in 1980. 4 The last confirmed case of smallpox was in Somalia, in 1977, and in Birmingham 4 in 1978. The vision to eradicate smallpox began early on, 3 but an actual plan didn’t begin in earnest until 1967. WHO has been strong on vision over many years. The World Health Organization met for the first time on 7 April 1948 and the first World Health Assembly (WHA) followed in June that year. The League of Nations health organisation existed before WHO and much of its work was assimilated into WHO. The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) -the first international health grouping-became one of the regions of WHO. Previous attempts to bring together international efforts on health had had limited success, hindered by the two world wars and other conflicts around the world.

It was a time for the old colonial powers to retreat and for new independence to come to the Global South. There was a vision to rebuild a fairer, cleaner, healthier, wiser, and productive global community. Global policy governance was borne out of post war political optimism and a universal desire to address William Beveridge’s five giant evils-want, idleness, ignorance, squalor, and disease. 1 Founded alongside the United Nations, it was accompanied by a family of global organisations, including UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

World Health Day this year marks the 75th birthday of the World Health Organization (WHO).

2Andrija Stampar School of Public Health, Zagreb Croatia.

1Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region.

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