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easyQ. No. 18016

Who is recognized as the first woman to serve as Director-General of the World Health Organization?

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The World Health Organization was set up in 1948 as the United Nations agency responsible for international public health, with its headquarters in Geneva. The break came in 1998, when Norway's Gro Harlem Brundtland was chosen for the top job. Her background was unusual for a health chief: she had practised medicine and then spent years in Norwegian politics, including three spells as prime minister. Her name was also known for chairing the commission behind the 1987 report Our Common Future, which put sustainable development on the world agenda. At WHO she concentrated on tobacco control, malaria and the state of weak health systems in poorer countries.

AMargaret Chan
BGro Harlem Brundtland
CTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
DHalfdan Mahler
Correct Answer: Gro Harlem BrundtlandYour Answer: B

Explanation

Correct answer: Option B (Gro Harlem Brundtland). She took over from Japan's Hiroshi Nakajima in July 1998 and served one five-year term, which makes her the first woman ever to head the agency. Why the other options are wrong: Option A (Margaret Chan): A physician from Hong Kong, she became Director-General only in 2007, well after Brundtland had broken the barrier. Option C (Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus): The former Ethiopian health and foreign minister has led WHO since 2017 and is the first African in the role. Option D (Halfdan Mahler): This Danish doctor ran WHO between 1973 and 1988 and championed the Alma-Ata declaration of 1978 on primary care. Remember: think of Brundtland whenever WHO and first woman appear together.

Important Notes

  • Born in Oslo in 1939, Brundtland later took a master's degree in public health at Harvard University in 1965.
  • World Health Day is observed every year on 7 April, and each year WHO picks a fresh theme for the campaign.
  • The World Health Assembly, which meets every year in Geneva, is the decision-making body that appoints the Director-General.
  • Lee Jong-wook of South Korea, a physician and long-time WHO official, succeeded her as Director-General in 2003.
  • Smallpox was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980, a landmark success for the World Health Organization.

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