How do the WHO, aid and NGOs work to improve global health and human development?
The priorities of the World Health Organization, the types of aid including emergency, bilateral and multilateral aid, the role of non-government organisations, and the Australian Government's aid program
VCE HHD Unit 4 AoS 2 on the WHO's priorities, emergency, bilateral and multilateral aid, NGOs and the Australian aid program.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point asks you to describe the role and priorities of the WHO, define the types of aid, explain the role of NGOs, and outline the Australian Government's aid program - then evaluate how effective these actions are in promoting health and human development.
The World Health Organization (WHO)
The WHO is the United Nations agency that directs and coordinates international health. Its broad role is to provide leadership on global health matters, set norms and standards, shape the research agenda, provide technical support to countries, and monitor and assess health trends.
Its priorities include achieving universal health coverage, addressing health emergencies (such as disease outbreaks and pandemics), and promoting healthier populations by acting on the determinants of health. These priorities link closely to SDG 3.
Types of aid
- Emergency aid (humanitarian aid) - rapid assistance given to people in immediate distress, such as after a natural disaster, conflict or famine, providing food, shelter, water and medical care.
- Bilateral aid - aid given directly from the government of one country to the government of another, often tied to agreed priorities.
- Multilateral aid - aid provided through an international organisation (such as the WHO or the United Nations) that pools contributions from many governments to fund large-scale programs.
Non-government organisations (NGOs)
NGOs are non-profit organisations that operate independently of government, such as Oxfam, World Vision and the Red Cross. They deliver programs on the ground, advocate for change, respond to emergencies and often work directly with communities to build long-term capacity.
The Australian Government's aid program
Australia's overseas aid program provides assistance focused largely on the Indo-Pacific region. It aims to promote stability, prosperity, and development by supporting areas such as health, education, gender equality, governance, infrastructure and humanitarian response. Australia delivers aid bilaterally, multilaterally and through partnerships with NGOs.
Matching the type of aid to the situation
A common exam task is to read a stimulus and classify the aid. Use two questions: what is the time frame (immediate crisis or long-term development), and what is the channel (government to government, through an international organisation, or through a non-government deliverer)?
- A rapid airlift of food, water and medical teams after a cyclone is emergency (humanitarian) aid: short-term, crisis-driven.
- A five-year, government-to-government agreement to build hospitals is bilateral aid: long-term, development-focused, one government to another.
- A vaccination program run by the WHO and funded by many donor governments is multilateral aid: pooled through an international organisation.
- A village clinic run by Oxfam, funded partly by government grants, is delivered by an NGO, even though the funding may be government aid.
These categories overlap in practice (Australia gives bilaterally, multilaterally and through NGOs), so explain why a particular feature in the stimulus points to a particular type rather than asserting it.
Evaluating effectiveness
When you evaluate global health action, judge it against recognised criteria:
- Reach: does it get to the people in greatest need, including remote, poor or marginalised groups?
- Sustainability: does it build local capacity so gains last, or create dependence?
- Determinants of health: does it address underlying causes (poverty, water, education, equality) and not just symptoms?
- Coordination: does it work with other donors and the WHO to avoid duplication and gaps?
- SDG alignment: does it advance specific SDG targets, especially SDG 3?
When you evaluate global health action, name the body or aid type, describe what it does, then judge its effectiveness against the criteria above, such as reach, sustainability, the determinants addressed and the SDG targets it advances.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of VCAA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
2024 VCAA4 marksFollowing a severe earthquake, an international agency airlifts food, clean water, tents and medical teams into the affected region within 48 hours, while a separate long-term agreement sees one government fund the rebuilding of the other country's hospitals over five years.
a. Identify and describe the type of aid provided in the immediate response to the earthquake. (2 marks)
b. Identify and describe the type of aid represented by the five-year hospital agreement. (2 marks)
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Part a (2 marks): identify emergency (humanitarian) aid (1 mark) and describe it (1 mark): rapid, short-term assistance given to people in immediate distress after a disaster or conflict, providing essentials such as food, water, shelter and medical care, as shown by the 48-hour airlift.
Part b (2 marks): identify bilateral aid (1 mark) and describe it (1 mark): aid given directly from the government of one country to the government of another, usually for long-term development goals, as shown by the government-to-government, five-year hospital rebuilding agreement. Match the type to the time frame and channel described in the stimulus.
2022 VCAA3 marksThe World Health Organization (WHO) coordinates a global program, funded by contributions from many member governments, to vaccinate children against measles in low-income countries. Explain how this program reflects multilateral aid and one priority of the WHO.
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Three marks: explain multilateral aid (about 2 marks) and link one WHO priority (1 mark).
Multilateral aid is aid channelled through an international organisation, here the WHO, that pools contributions from many donor governments to fund a large-scale program (1 mark). Because many countries contribute, the program can reach far more children than any single donor could alone, and the WHO coordinates delivery across many countries (1 mark).
WHO priority (1 mark): the program reflects the WHO priority of protecting people in health emergencies / promoting healthier populations by leading immunisation against a communicable disease, supporting universal access to essential health services and progress on SDG 3.