Copenhagen

Dr Danzon's platform for the post of WHO Regional Director for Europe stressed health as an accessible human right for all. Dr Danzon has specialized in public health, psychiatry and health management and economics. Born in Toulouse, France, in 1947, he has 25 years of experience in public health at the national and international levels. Dr Danzon has worked twice before with WHO at the Regional Office for Europe.

“I strongly believe in WHO and its potential to advocate and support health. I am committed to WHO’s ideals, and look forward to working with people throughout the European Region and beyond in making access to health for all a reality in the new millennium”, states Dr Danzon. “To enter the twenty-first century with this challenge is a wonderful personal gift and public privilege that I feel very proud to accept. I hope that this century will see the amazing advances in science and medicine spread to benefit all humankind. Medical ethics are paramount and we must collectively guard against the dangers of misuse of biotechnology. In my capacity as Regional Director for Europe in this great Organization, I will do whatever I can to further the good work of WHO in its effort to serve its Member States for the benefit of all, to ensure the quality of and equal access to health systems, citizens’ rights to health and the rational use of health funding,” concludes Dr Danzon.

The new WHO Regional Director for Europe will start his tenure with the implementation of Health21 - the new health for all policy framework for the WHO European Region.

Dr Danzon’s career has unfolded in three institutions involved in various areas of public health:

• the Comité français d’éducation pour la santé (French Health Education Committee)
• the WHO Regional Office for Europe
• the Fédération nationale de la mutualité française (the National Federation of Mutual Insurance Societies in France).

The Comité français d’éducation pour la santé (French Health Education Committee) is a national institution in charge of defining and implementing policies and programmes for health promotion and education. Dr Danzon joined it in 1974, following his medical training, and served as its director from 1989 to 1992.

At the WHO Regional Office for Europe, Dr Danzon gained considerable experience working for WHO. From 1985 to 1989, he was responsible for communication and public information, and launched a major public health campaign against tobacco use. In 1992, Dr Danzon returned to the Regional Office as director of the new Country Health Development Department. In this capacity, he was responsible for the development of the EUROHEALTH programme to help meet the special needs of the countries of central and eastern Europe. He then became director of the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Department.

The Fédération nationale de la mutualité française (the National Federation of Mutual Insurance Societies in France) is a non-profit supplementary health insurance organization, covering 35 million people and managing 1500 health and social establishments in France.

Dr Danzon joined this organization in 1997 as Director for Public Health.

Dr Jo Eirik Asvall, from Norway, first became WHO Regional Director for Europe on 11 January 1985. He had previously been the Director, Programme Management at the Regional office since 1979. He was reappointed for additional terms in 1990 and 1995.

During his tenure of office, Dr Asvall was one of the architects of the health for all strategy for the WHO European Region. This strategy called for a fundamental change in countries’ health development and outlined four main areas of concern: lifestyle and health, risk factors affecting health and the environment, the reorientation of health care systems and the political, management, technological, human resources, research and other support necessary to bring about the desired changes in the first three areas.

For more information, contact:

Communication and Public Affairs
WHO Regional Office for Europe
Scherfigsvej 8, DK-2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
Fax: +45 39 17 18 80
E-mail: fap@who.dk or ana@who.dk

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