The World Health Organization and the Population Issue

Organizational Values in the United Nations

Bibliographic Data

ID4120785
AuthorsJason L Finkle, Barbara B Crane
Year1976
Volume2
Issue3/4
Pages367
Publication date1976-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePopulation and Development Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0098-7921 • E-ISSN: 1728-4457
PublisherJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/1971616
OpenAlexW2280929485
LanguageEN
Citations received9

This traces the history of the organization of the World Health Organization (WHO) and its establishment as a nonpolitical source of expertise in the 1950s. When rapid population growth began to appear as a problem in the early 1960s WHO was reluctant to become actively involved because the bureaucary perceived fertility control as a highly sensitive political issue. Much of this was the result of an emotionally charged debate in the World Health Assembly in 1952 when a modest proposal to include family planning in maternal care programs was strongly objected to by Catholic countries. Even though a number of nations asked for population assistance in the early 1960s WHO stood by its original statement that population and family planning were not health matters and were strictly social issues. Director-general Candau strongly defended this position and assured ministries of health he was not in favor of diverting health funds to family planning efforts. In 1966 in response to changing pressures a modified WHO policy was announced favoring combination of family planning and health resources because of the nature of modern contraceptives which require medical supervision and because of the importance of family planning to maternal and child health. The creation of the U.N. Fund for Population Activities and the decision of the World Bank to enter the population field lead WHO to feel its domain was seriously threatened. In 1970 it began to enter to the family planning field actively and by 1975 was giving technical assistance to more than 60 countries. Its conservative approach has been dictated by its concern to maintain its image as a nonpolitical expert organization. This conservatism however may cost it a leadership position in solving the worlds population problem

Economic growth · Economics · Family planning · Health care · Political science · Politics · Population · Population control · Population growth · Reproductive health · Sociology · World population · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Demography · Global Maternal and Child Health · Law

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