Health is one of the most precious things to us and our families. It is also something we can sometimes take for granted, until we no longer have it. That is why it is important to reflect on the achievements we’ve made as a global community to tackle big health threats and protect ourselves from killer diseases.

The work of World Health Organisation (WHO) impacts on the health and wellbeing of billions of people. When governments want to share their experience of responding to health challenges, they engage with WHO. WHO’s Director–General is responsible for running the organization. It is a complex task. The WHO helps countries work out how best to organize health services for their people and helps countries respond to infectious disease outbreaks. It adapts its responses to the circumstances of each country: this is not an easy task, given that each country has very different needs. It also helps people in conflict and crises providing expertise and information to treat those in need.

The WHO’s Governing Assembly is set to elect a new Director-General at the end of May this year. My name is Dr David Nabarro and I am one of three candidates in the running for this role. It feels to me as though I have been in training to become Director-General of WHO for my entire life. I have a burning ambition to help people in difficulty and to ensure they achieve their full potential. My motivation comes from every patient I’ve ever treated, and from every community that I have served. I want to be sure that whatever I do in life brings benefit to people most in need: this ambition to serve has stayed with me throughout my professional life.

I am a medical doctor with over 40 years experience – I know what it’s like on the front line and at the top table of international health improvement. I have worked in more than 50 countries across the world – in places such as India, Nepal, Indonesia and Bangladesh. I understand the complexity of the UN and multilateral systems and I know how to make them work well. I’ve worked on the sustainable development goals, climate change and food security. I am the only Director-General candidate who has successfully managed complex global challenges and led the world in responding to crises including malaria, avian influenza and Ebola. If another disease outbreak hits I know I have the experience to lead WHO to respond.

I first came to Kazakhstan in 1991 and was involved in work between the UK and Kazakhstan on health improvements. It is a country I have stayed closely associated with over the last few decades, seeing how health services have developed and how public health in particular has advanced. Good progress has been made and the government should be commended. However, challenges remain. Cardiovascular disease is one of the most common causes of death, along with other non-communicable or “lifestyle” diseases. There is also still work to be done to rid the country of tuberculosis.

As Director-General of WHO I will lead an organization that catalyses reductions in widespread suffering caused by diseases such as cancer, obesity and diabetes. I will help member states dealing with these lifestyle illnesses through early intervention and prevention, something that can be achieved at low cost. I will also strive to ensure that the most vulnerable are not forgotten and that women and children get access to the health services they need.

Equally, it is vital that work continues to deal with the impending crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which has seen the emergence of so called “superbugs” that don’t respond to medicines in the way they used to. Tuberculosis in particular is a real source of concern in this regard.

As WHO Director-General I will want to work with Kazakhstan’s leaders, including Health Minister Elzhan Birtanov who I was pleased to meet with on my visit last week, to build on recent success. Whether it is focused on improving people’s health security in the face of infectious disease threats, managing the impacts of air pollution on people’s health, tackling cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes or driving forward work on AMR, WHO has much to offer. The WHO is a vital organization for a healthy world and I am passionate about ensuring it can deliver results for all.

Note for editors:

Dr David Nabarro is one of the three nominees for the post of Director–General of the World Health Organization (WHO). He has worked as a doctor, educator and international public servant, focusing on global health, for over 40 years. He has worked across more than 50 countries. Find out more at www.davidnabarro.info

First-of-a-kind technology with the potential to come to market quickly is being trialled across the UK to improve the lives of citizens.

A new fast-track system to speed up immigration and asylum appeals for those in detention, saving millions of pounds every year, has been drawn up by Ministers.

The government today set out plans for a new process for detained foreign nationals appealing a Home Office decision to remove them from the country.

The new rules, which if accepted would apply to detained foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers, could speed up about 2,000 cases every year and save the taxpayer an estimated £2.7million.

The proposals would mean the time between an initial decision and conclusion of an appeal to the First-tier Tribunal would be capped at between 25 and 28 working days – shaving around a third off current average timeframes.

Justice Secretary Elizabeth Truss said:

It is vital that foreign nationals who have no right to remain in the country should be removed as quickly as possible.

We must ensure that foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers are not exploiting the justice system by attempting to stay in the UK after their claims have been rejected.

Our proposals are also better for detainees as it will see their detention time cut.

The new plans would replace the old detained fast track appeals system, which was brought to an end in 2015 after a Court of Appeal ruling.

Proposals laid out today by the Ministry of Justice would include new safeguards, including a case management review and giving judges strengthened powers to decide whether cases can be expedited.

It is now for the independent Tribunal Procedure Committee (TPC), which sets rules for tribunals, to consider whether and how the proposals should be implemented.

1. The plans, published today (18 April) following a consultation, would apply to those detained and appealing an immigration or asylum decision through a tribunal.
2. A previous fast track appeal process was set aside by the Court of Appeal in 2015, but the Court did not disagree with the principle of an expedited appeals process. The Government’s proposals have taken the Court’s judgment on board, and added new safeguards including a case management stage for each detained appellant, and new powers for judges to decide whether cases should be expedited.
3. The proposals will cut the length of time in detention for foreign nationals by speeding up the appeals process.
4. They propose that the time between the Home Office’s decision and determination of the appeal by the First-tier Tribunal should be set at between 25 and 28 working days.
5. The current average for an appeal determination is about 36 working days.

Minister for the Cabinet Office Ben Gummer laid a statement in Parliament on guidance for civil servants in the pre-election period.

A new set of inspections will examine how local partner agencies – including local authorities, health and probation services and the police – are working together to protect children living with, or at risk of, neglect.

The series of six joint targeted area inspections (JTAI) involving Ofsted, Care Quality Commission (CQC), HMI Constabulary and HMI Probation will begin in May this year.

JTAI assess how effectively agencies are working together in their local area to help and protect children. Each set of joint inspections also evaluates the multi-agency response to a particular issue or theme.

Following feedback from key stakeholders, the four inspectorates decided that the latest series of JTAI should look at local support services for children living with neglect. In particular, the inspections will focus on the experiences of children aged between seven and 15 years old, who may be at higher risk of going missing or being exploited, or who exhibit challenging behaviours in adolescence

Uniquely for this JTAI, inspectors will also speak with school leaders and staff to get a wider picture of how neglect is identified and referred.

HM Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman said:

Identifying signs of neglect in middle childhood and adolescence can be very complex, as children at this age experience and respond to neglect differently from younger children. However, at any age, the impact of childhood neglect can be lifelong.

It’s crucial that local partner agencies understand the long-term effects of neglect and recognise the need for early and appropriate intervention.

These inspections will provide valuable insight into the local area response to neglect. And importantly, they will highlight good practice that others can learn from.

Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of General Practice at the Care Quality Commission, said:

Neglect is a terrible and far-reaching problem that can present itself in many aspects of a child’s life. We all have a responsibility to safeguard those children who find themselves at risk of neglect, and that means understanding where these risks might be and also where services are doing great work to support children in their area.

By focusing on individual children’s experiences and tracking them across services, these inspections will provide an invaluable chance to see how agencies are working together and the impact this has on the welfare of young people.

HM Inspector of Constabulary, Wendy Williams, said:

It is important that all police officers have the correct knowledge to fully understand the signs of neglect. As HMIC has said previously, although the protection of the vulnerable is not just the responsibility of the police, police officers will often be the first point of contact for vulnerable victims.

These inspections aim to provide an understanding of how the police works with partner agencies not just to identify child neglect, but also to provide the best possible support and protection to keep children safe.

HM Chief Inspector of Probation, Dame Glenys Stacey, said:

Many of the children of adult offenders may be experiencing neglect. This programme will give us the opportunity to examine and report on the work of probation providers in improving the lives of children and young people living in very difficult circumstances. Youth offending teams supervise many children and young people who have experienced and continue to experience neglect in childhood and towards adulthood.

We will identify the extent to which youth offending teams work with these children and young people to reduce the impact of neglect and improve their life chances.

Guidance published today sets out how the inspections will work in practice.

Each inspection report will include narrative findings, clearly setting out what local partners are doing well and what they need to do to improve.

In 2014, Ofsted produced a report on local arrangements to safeguard neglected children under the age of 10. This multi-agency review of the experiences of older neglected children will build on that evidence base.

When all six inspections are complete, an overview report will be published to highlight learning and good practice on the theme of childhood neglect.

Notes to editors:

1. Joint targeted area inspections were launched in January 2016. The first series focused on children at risk of sexual exploitation and those missing from home, school or care. The individual inspection reports are all available on the Ofsted website and a thematic overview report will be published in the autumn.
2. The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), academies, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.
3. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. It makes sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, caring, well-led and responsive care, and encourages care services to improve. It monitors, inspects and regulates services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety and publishes what it finds to help people choose care.
4. HMIC is an independent inspectorate, inspecting policing in the public interest, and rigorously examines the efficiency and effectiveness of police forces to tackle crime and terrorism, improve criminal justice and raise confidence. HMIC inspects all 43 police forces in England and Wales, together with other major policing bodies.
5. HMI Probation is an independent inspectorate, sponsored by the Ministry of Justice, and reporting directly to the Secretary of State on the effectiveness of work with adults, children and young people who have offended, aimed at reducing reoffending and protecting the public. Further information about the work of HMI Probation is at www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation.