World Health Organization : The mandate of a specialized agency of the United Nations
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Al termine di questo lavoro, vorrei ringraziare tutte le persone, che mi hanno assistito, guidato e incoraggiato e grazie alle quali ho imparato a riconoscere e sviluppare la mia passione per l’ambito internazionale.
Prima tra tutte, la Professoressa Simona Beretta, che mi ha aiutato a individuare e meglio definire l’interesse per le organizzazioni internazionali, e, in particolare, per l’Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità, e ad elaborare il testo della mia tesi.
Ringrazio i miei Docenti dell’Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, il cui insegnamento è stato indispensabile per la mia crescita culturale. Un ringraziamento particolare va al Professor Vittorio Emanuele Parsi, al Professor Alberto Quadrio Curzio e al Magnifico Rettore, ma prima ancora, per me, Professore di Scienza Politica e di Storia delle Dottrine Politiche, Lorenzo Ornaghi.
Non posso dimenticare, inoltre, colui che ha creato le circostanze che mi hanno permesso di recarmi alla sede centrale dell’OMS di Ginevra per tre mesi, il Professor Umberto Solimene, del Centro Collaborante OMS per la Medicina Tradizionale dell’Università degli Studi di Milano.
I also want to thank my Professors at the Universiteit of Rotterdam where I spent my third year with the Socrates Erasmus Programme. Such an environment made my interest for the international field rise and grow. Among all, Professor Jacob Kol.
The research and the writing of this dissertation would not have been the same without the kind help and support I received by members of the WHO Secretariat at the Geneva headquarters. Their accurate assistance and careful guidance allowed me to understand the complex processes I was interested in, and made me become familiar with the day-to-day work of an international organisation.
First of all, I would like to thank the Traditional Medicine Team, within which I did my internship. Dr Zhang, Ms Maruyama, Dr Ashgari, Ms Li, Ms Lee, Arminda and Kate were close to me every day during my research, and taught me how to work with dedication to the Organization’ s mandate and towards the member states’ needs. From the Essential Drugs and Medicine Policies Department, I also want to mention Dr Quick and Ms Sawyer.
Secondly, thanks are due to the Core Group Meeting for the WHO Process for a Global strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, and in particular to Dr Yach, Dr Puska, Dr Armstrong, Ms Waxman, Ms Thompson, Mr Portman and Margaret. By observing their work and listening to their meetings, I had the opportunity to increase my understanding about the complex processes that an organisation has to go through to achieve its purposes.
Thirdly, I also want to recall Dr Raviglione, Petra and Raj who gave me a hand when I had to study the WHO activity relative to tuberculosis.
Fourthly, appreciation is extended to Dr Khaltaev and Dr Matricardi, who gave me precious advices essential for identifying the topic of my dissertation and for learning a good method of research. The contribute from Mr Burci was also important to better clarify and give foundation to my intuitions.
Thanks is also expressed to Dr Prost, Dr Cassels, Dr Spinaci and Benedikte, as well as to Marie, Colette, Becky and Deborah, because they provide me with key information for understanding the role of the WHO at the international political level.
I also very much appreciated the lectures from the Induction Course for New Staff taught by Hellen which gave me a useful overview of the Organization.
Last but not least, a big thank to the interns I spent my leisure and I exchanged my point of view with: Svenja 1 and Svenja 2, Valentin, Romain, Olumidè, Jonathon, Shalini and Giovanni.
Edited by Aldo Campana,