Examining importance of global health governance

In a New England Journal of Medicine review article, Julio Frenk and Suerie Moon of the Harvard School of Public Health write that the world faces "a trio of threats: first, the unfinished agenda of infections, undernutrition, and reproductive health problems; second, the rising global burden of non-communicable diseases and their associated risk factors, such as smoking and obesity; and third, the challenges arising from globalization itself, such as the health effects of climate change and trade policies, which demand engagement outside the traditional health sector." They continue, "A robust response to this complex picture requires improved governance of health systems -- certainly at the national level but also at a worldwide level in what could be thought of as the 'global health system,'" and note, "In this article, we define and discuss the importance of good global governance for health, outline major challenges to such governance, and describe the necessary functions of a global health system" (3/7).