• by Chicago Council on Global Affairs
• Wednesday, May 27, 2020
• Inter Press Service
• Gro Brundtland, Former Prime Minister of Norway; Former Director-General, World Health Organization. Moderated by Catherine Bertini, was a distinguished fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She is a former Executive Director of World Food Programme and UN Under Secretary General.

May 27 (IPS) - Between 2002 and 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO) faced the first pandemic of the globalized 21st century, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).

Under the leadership of Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland and through epidemiological, clinical, and logistical coordination, the WHO facilitated a strong and ultimately successful response to the outbreak.

Today, the WHO is facing the coronavirus pandemic in an even more globalized and urbanized world, further complicating response and coordination efforts. What similarities do these two pandemics share, and what lessons in leadership might we be able to learn from the past?

© Inter Press Service (2020) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

Where next?

Advertisement