At a time of fundamental changes in international health strategies, this is the first book to provide a comprehensive account of the international agencies involved -- notably the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNDP. Succinctly covering their organisation, finances, policies and practice, and paying due attention to the increasingly dominant role in health policymaking being played by the World Bank, this book also devotes attention to other actors in the health field, notably non-governmental organisations. It also examines in depth the main areas of international health policy, including the Health for All and Primary Health Care strategies, the current preoccupation with health care reform and service delivery, the future of essential drugs policies and the issues surrounding reproductive health and population.What makes this book of outstanding usefulness is not simply its rich combination of institutional and policy information and analysis, but the particular stance of its authors - namely their principled assertion of the universal right of people to have access to much needed health services as the essential basis for any health policy.