Modeling a global environmental organization off of WHO.

There are many instances in the literature we have read that state the structure and presence of a world or international environmental organization would function like existing organizations such as the World Health Organization, or WHO, the International Labor Organization (ILO), or the World Trade Organization (WTO).  At the present time, global environmental governance does not have the central anchor that these organizations serve to there respective areas of focus.  In this blog, I will outline the purposes, structure, organization, and functions of the World Health Organization and attempt to outline how a world environmental organization could be modeled similarly.
The WHO was established on April 7, 1948 as an agency of the United Nations, with its headquarters located in Geneva, Switzerland. Since it's establishment, the WHO has been at the forefront of most public health advancements, including the eradication of smallpox.
WHO has six established global regions- Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific. Breaking down the globe into these six smaller regions allows the leaders of the organization and regions themselves to focus on the particular health needs of each region.  We mentioned a similar concept in class today, discussing the positives and negatives of dividing the world into regions so that each region could identify and address their pertinent environmental issues.  In some regions like parts of the Americas, the most common causes of death are diseases such as cardiovascular or coronary heart disease, but in some parts of the African region, the major threats may be poor sanitation or communicable or infectious diseases such as malaria or HIV. Similar to health differences around the world, environmental concerns may differ as well.  Some areas of the world may be more concerned with acid rain than others and, as we saw in the readings, some areas, like coastal African countries, may be more concerned with toxic waste.  In the WHO, many decisions are made at the regional level, allowing the leaders regional directors to be more communicative with those that live there and the policies and guidelines to be more effective and pertinent.  A similar system of governance could be adopted in a global environmental organization, allowing regions to focus on their own needs first instead of having to agree to treaties that may not even address their concerns.  Obviously, the WHO also concerns itself with issues that do effect the entire global population as well.  A global environmental organization would also address issues like climate change.
In 1948, there were 61 countries signed into membership in the WHO and by 2013, that number had expanded to 194.  A state becomes a member by adopting and ratifying the constitution of the WHO. The WHO still has the ability to function, carry out health research, publish findings and communicate health guidelines even if there are states or nations that are not members. A world environmental organization could exist in a similar manner. We have read literature explaining that conferences and treaties have failed because nations have declined to ratify them.  It would be beneficial to have an environmental organization existing as a governing and guideline body where nations can join when they have the ability to or agree to abide by the constitution or treaty of that environmental organization.
The WHO is also made up of several smaller departments and programs, each with specific focuses. Some examples are the Polio Eradication Initiative, the Initiative for Vaccine Research, and the International Programme on Chemical Safety.  These smaller programs are developed to address the issues that arise.  If a global environmental organization were to exist, similar programs or initiatives could be adopted to address the matters at hand.  There could be a program on climate change, a program on water pollution, a program on deforestation, and so on. Breaking down the responsibilities of the entire organization in a model similar to that of the WHO would allow environmental concerns to be researched and addressed, for policies to be developed and possibly implemented, and for national governments to be well informed about such issues.  These task forces could exist all under the umbrella of a global environmental organization.


All background info came from readings in class, WHO/UN websites and publications and documents.