Dr Socorro Escalante
In Mongolia, children, especially in herder families, learn to ride horses as young as three years old. They start helping their families herd livestock at the age of seven or eight.
WHO vision and mission
The founding vision of WHO is a world in which all people attain the highest possible standard of health and well-being. The WHO mission is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. WHO works with a commitment to human rights, universality
and equity, based on the principles espoused in the WHO Constitution.
Core functions of WHO include: providing leadership on matters crucial to health and engaging in partnerships where joint action is needed; shaping the research agenda
and stimulating the generation, translation and dissemination of valuable knowledge; setting norms and standards and promoting and monitoring their implementation; articulating ethical and evidence- based policy options; providing technical support
to catalyse changes; building sustainable institutional capacity; and monitoring the health situation and assessing health trends.
In order to provide effective support, the WHO country office leverages the three levels of the Organization:
to focus support where it can make a difference; to place the right people in the right places; to engage partners effectively; to enhance communications; and to improve operational intelligence.
Priorities of WHO
WHO’s general programme of work (GPW) sets medium-term priorities and strategies of the Organization. The World Health Assembly in May 2018 is expected to approve the 13th general programme of work, covering the period 2019–2023. It encompasses a set of three interconnected strategic priorities, strategic shifts and organizational shifts, as well as 10 outcomes to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. The three strategic priorities are:
- Universal health coverage: 1 billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage
- Health emergencies: 1 billion more people better protected from health emergencies
- Healthier populations: 1 billion more people enjoying better health and well-being
Priorities of WHO in Mongolia
Through the country cooperation strategy, WHO will continue to provide sound and evidence-based technical and policy advice to the Government. At the same time, WHO will focus on supporting strengthened partnerships for health and enhancing the use of information technology for health in Mongolia.
WHO Representative to Mongolia
Dr Socorro Escalante MD, Ll. B., MBAH, assumed her duties of WHO Representative in Mongolia on 02 January 2023. She leads the country cooperation between the Government of Mongolia and the World Health Organization, advancing health and development under the framework of Mongolia’s vision 2050.
Prior to this assignment she served various roles in WHO Offices in the Philippines, Viet Nam and the Western Pacific Regional Office in Manila as Technical Officer for Pharmaceuticals and Acting WHO Representative during the COVID-19 response in WCO Philippines, Health Systems Coordinator and Acting WHO Representative of the WHO Country Office in Vietnam; Regional Coordinator Essential Medicines and Health Technologies (EMT) and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) at the Western Pacific Regional Office where she held concurrent assignments as Acting Director of the Division of Health Systems and Senior Advisor to the Regional Director of the Western Pacific in various periods. Prior to working with WHO, Dr Escalante was a Provincial Board Member at the Provincial Government of La Union, Philippines, and then Medical Specialist at the Department of Health – Regional Office in La Union, Philippines. She was a Congressional Fellow at the House of Representatives, Congress of the Philippines in 1990-1991.
Dr Escalante played key roles in WHO’s support to the COVID-19 response in the Western Pacific, rotating as an Incident Manager of the WPRO’s Incident Management System, acting as WHO Representative of the Philippines during the earlier part of the pandemic. She played a strong and central role in leading WHO’s support to the regulatory preparedness for COVID-19 technologies enabling countries in the Region to rapidly access and deploy COVID-19 vaccines. She spoused and led the work on regulatory preparedness for public health emergencies prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Escalante received the WHO Reward of Excellence from the WHO Director General in 2016. She was awarded with the Medal for the People’s Health of Vietnam and Medal of Recognition for Contribution to the Social Security from the Ministry of Health and Vietnam Social Security respectively. In July 2024, she was bestowed the Medal of Honor by the Ministry of Health of Mongolia.
Dr Socorro Escalante is a Doctor of Medicine with degrees in Bachelor of Laws and Master in Business Administration in Health. She speaks English and Filipino and is a national of the Republic of the Philippines.
Dr Socorro Escalante succeeded Dr Sergey Diorditsa who served as WHO Representative in Mongolia from 2017-2022.