As a World Health Organization (WHO) non-State actor, we are recognized by the WHO as non-State actors in official relations with the global entity. In this role, we help advance public health policy on a global level and engage with the WHO at the World Health Assembly and other official meetings, providing us with a unique opportunity to collaborate with global health and policy leaders ultimately supporting and promoting health for all populations.

The Task Force also mobilizes innovative technologies and develops and applies scientific advances to improve global health. Partnering with scientists and inventors, we help identify new, cost-effective laboratory and technological developments and tools that could be applied to real-life health challenges in some of the most remote and economically disadvantaged communities. Whether it is implementing diagnostic tools that are usable outside of laboratories, combining drug therapies, or developing sophisticated laboratory and information technologies that are proven to accelerate disease elimination, we are helping to increase the effectiveness of the health systems in low- to middle- income countries.

There’s a good reason we are called The Task Force, a term used for a group organized to achieve a specific objective. Whatever the health problem, we approach the challenge first by working with our partners to clearly define what it means to succeed. 

As Dr. Foege suggested of childhood immunization (our organization’s first ‘task’): Working toward improving childhood immunization levels was not specific enough. Collectively agreeing on a target of 80 percent coverage worldwide helped bring the final mile into view, motivating action and providing a metric for progress.

Sometimes, as in the case of polio, complete and final disease eradication is the final mile. In other cases, as with trachoma, elimination of the disease as a public health problem is the goal (i.e., reducing prevalence to the point that sporadic cases can be handled through regular clinical care systems). For health systems strengthening programs, the final mile is reached when every country has a demonstrably effective, sustainable capacity for a key public health function (e.g., for disease outbreak detection and control). 

For all of our programs, this ‘final mile’ orientation has proven to be a key element in inspiring and unifying coalition partners. It helps all involved in a given effort to visualize what they are trying to achieve, develop plans for making and measuring progress, and mobilize and deploy their respective resources to reach their shared goal.