Andrija Štampar
(an excerpt from 'Selected Papers of Andrija Štampar': "Life and Achievements of Andrija Štampar, Fighter for the Promotion of Public Health" by M.D. Grmek)

Work at the Promotion of International Cooperation in Matters of Health

Much of Štampar's life energy and mental capacity was devoted to the creation and shaping of World Health Organization (WHO). He was called the father of WHO in Copenhagen, Geneva, Manila, in any place where WHO was active. From 1945 he was engaged in the formation of WHO, trying to make it as powerful as possible. He worked out the Statute of WHO and through the letters of this international document he spread progressive ideas and fought against colonialism, racism, and for the equality of all nations and all people.

Štampar was elected the First Vice Chairman of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and the Member of the Technical Preparatory Committee for the creation of WHO.

Probably Štampar's major contribution to the constitution of the World Health Organization, as one looks back on the Paris and New York meetings that developed it, was the broad vision incorporated in its oft-quoted preamble.

The International Health Conference held in New York in the summer of 1946 was attended by the official representatives of 51 nations. With only a few minor alterations, they accepted the draft of the WHO Constitution drawn up by the Preparatory Committee. The Conference formed a special commission, the so-called Interim Commission of 18 states. Štampar was elected the Chairmed at that Conference. On the authorization of the International Health Conference, the Interim Commission was commissioned to carry out all the functions of WHO up to the formal establishment of this organization, i.e. till the ratification of its Constitution. The Interim Commission was in fact the World Health Organization but did not bear this name till its ratification by the United Nations. This Commission, under Štampar's guidance, carried out an extremely important task of establishing collaboration in health issues and helping the economically weaker countries.

The First World Health Assembly was called with the ratification of the WHO Constitution. It was in session from June 24 to July 24, 1948. Štampar was elected the President of the Assembly unanimously.

In his later years, Štampar again travelled to distant countries. Thus in 1955 he was in Afghanistan where, at the request of WHO, he was to give advice about the reorganization of the Medical School in that country. The following year he visited Egypt and Sudan, as the leader of a seminar for public health administrators. Towards the end of 1957, he went to Ethiopia to see the conditions under which the Medical School could be established there. Then he went to Sudan again to study the problem of health services.

At the 8th regular session of WHO in Mexico City, on May 13, 1955, Professor Štampar was awarded the Leon Bernard Foundation Prize and Medal, the greatest international recognition of merit in the field of social medicine.