Scientific talent is not uniformly distributed across countries. It follows that requiring WHO staff to be geographically representative of the member states Is ill-advised. This policy promotes the hiring of less-qualified individuals and has contributed to the lack of effectiveness seen in the organization's response to the Ebola epidemic.
Eliminating the country quotas would be a first step towards creating a global organization modeled after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is the pre-eminent public health institution. The world needs a WHO that is scientific rather than political to face the serious, emerging public health threats.