When Dr. Margaret Chan assumed as Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) on 4 January 2007, she became the first Chinese person to head a United Nations agency. Speaking to the WHO staff in Geneva, she pledged to focus on two specific groups: "I want my leadership to be judged by the impact of our work on the health of two populations: women and the people of Africa".

With almost 30 years of experience in public health, Dr. Chan obtained her medical degree from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, and joined the Hong Kong Department of Health in 1978. As director of that organization, she coordinated the local response to the original outbreak of H5N1 avian flu in 1997 and responded to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) crisis in 2003.

In an interview published on the WHO website, Dr. Chan stressed the importance of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) saying that progress on the MDGs will "contribute to improving the health of people in Africa - [by reducing] HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria for example". She also said, "There is another MDG goal dealing with maternal health, which I would link to the Goal for the health of children. Children's health depends on the mothers, so if we can scale up the achievement of the MDGs, it would benefit people in Africa".

Dr. Chan was upbeat about the prospects for improving global health when she spoke to the staff, saying "I believe these are optimistic times for health. Never before has our work enjoyed such a high profile on the political agenda". Her term will run until mid-2012.

The WHO in 2006

In 2006, both the World Health Report and World Health Day focused on health workers. According to WHO, there are currently 57 countries with critical shortages of health workers that prevent them from delivering vital interventions such as vaccination of children, ante-natal and obstetric care and treatment of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. There is a shortage of more than 4 million physicians, nurses, midwives, support staff and public health workers to meet the needs of these countries, 36 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Another 2006 WHO report, entitled "Opportunities for Africa's newborns", showed that sub-Saharan Africa remains the most dangerous region in the world for a baby to be born-with 1.16 million babies dying each year in the first 28 days of life. Nevertheless, six African countries-Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania-have shown that it is possible to reverse the trend. Under the aegis of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, investigators have shown how simple and low-cost measures can turn the situation round.

Polio eradication came within reach in 2006, with the disease no longer endemic in Egypt or Niger, leaving Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan as the only countries in which indigenous poliomyelitis is still present.

In 2006, the WHO provided technical assistance, supplies of drugs and equipment, coordination among health partners and disease surveillance to parts of the world experiencing humanitarian crises, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Horn of Africa, Iraq, Sudan and in particular Darfur, the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon and elsewhere.