Global Health Actors

The global health landscape is characterized by a variety of prominent actors, each with distinct yet intertwined roles in promoting health, preventing disease, and managing health crises worldwide. The United Nations (UN) works towards international peace and security, fostering friendly relations among nations, and promoting social progress, better living standards, and human rights, which inherently includes health. Its specialized agency, the World Health Organization (WHO), is explicitly committed to promoting health, keeping the world safe, and serving the vulnerable. It has led significant strides in disease eradication and prevention, including the eradication of smallpox and near-eradication of polio, and is a major actor in global health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. National governmental health agencies like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the UK's Public Health England (PHE) work to safeguard their respective nations' health, preventing and managing disease outbreaks and health emergencies, and promoting healthier lifestyles. Nongovernmental health organizations, such as Doctors Without Borders (Mdecins Sans Frontires, MSF) and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, also play essential roles. These organizations can often fill gaps not covered by governmental bodies and offer vital healthcare services in crises, promote healthcare research, and aim to eliminate specific diseases globally.

The DNP Essentials illustrate the importance of understanding and working within the global health environment. Essential II, "Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Improvement and Systems Thinking," is especially pertinent, as these organizations must continually strive for better health outcomes and navigate complex health systems. Essential VI, "Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes," is also highly relevant, as these actors must collaborate across disciplines and sectors to tackle global health challenges. Essential VIII, "Advanced Nursing Practice," emphasizes the role of advanced practice nurses in these contexts, using their skills to promote health and wellness at both individual and population levels.

This paper begins with a detailed exploration of the United Nations and the World Health Organization, discussing their roles, formation, and significant accomplishments. It then describes two national governmental health agencies, the CDC and PHE. It then discusses the nongovernmental health organizations, Doctors Without Borders and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

United Nations (UN)

Founded in 1945 after the end of WW2, the United Nations was established with the primary goal being to maintain international peace and security (Thakur, 2016). War had greatly caused much of the world to suffer, and the UNs aim was to prevent any such thing from happening again. It also sought to be a body of government by which friendly relations among nations could be fostered. To that end, there were numerous UN conventions that established rules by which member nations were expected to govern themselves. Other ends included the promotion of social progress, better living standards, and human rights.

Over its history, the UN has accomplished a number of different objectives. One of its big goals was to end colonization, and to date it has successfully helping more than 80 colonies gain independence; creating a framework to respond to global crises and conflicts (the UN Peacekeeping Forces were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988); launching the Sustainable...

…zones, and in response to epidemics and natural disasters (Fox, 1995). Notable accomplishments include winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 for their humanitarian work around the world. MSF has also been a leader in treating war wounds, malnutrition, and infectious diseases like Ebola and providing psychological support to people in crisis situations.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Established in 2000, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's goal is to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty globally, and to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology in the U.S. (Tang, 2016). The foundation has made significant contributions to global health, including a commitment to eradicating malaria and polio. It has also invested billions in initiatives aimed at improving public health in developing countries, and in research and development of new healthcare interventions, such as new vaccies and drugs.

Summary

In summary, global health is an interconnected field managed by a broad array of actors that play crucial roles in promoting health, preventing diseases, and handling global health crises. These actors include international organizations like the United Nations and its specialized agency, the World Health Organization, national governmental health agencies like the CDC and PHE, and nongovernmental health organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This intricate network of global health actors signifies the complexity of health care systems and the necessity for collaborative efforts across disciplines and sectors. As highlighted by the DNP Essentials, advanced practice nurses have a significant role to play in this environment. Their leadership and interprofessional collaboration skills can contribute to improving…