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xvi Introduction A Resiliency Framework At the most fundamental level, a resiliency framework for this volume encompasses three essential concepts: to withstand, to recover, and to adapt. Throughout the volume, we will use this framework to illustrate the health of women and girls. Rather than focusing on trauma stories and tragedy, the volume remains focused on the strength and empowerment of trailblazers who are improving the lives and well-being of women. Social Ecology An orientation to help understand the complexities of women’s health is the social ecology framework that references the application of multiple theoretical perspectives, methods, and levels of analysis. The volume authors are an interdisciplinary team working together, analyzing social climates of global communities that surround health conditions. One of our key goals for this volume is to understand global communities in terms of causes and conditions that create vulnerability to illnesses, as they relate to nationality, industry, displacement, and social marginalization within social, historical, cultural, and institutional contexts. Humans, in general, have lived experiences that have shaped their knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. However, experiences (both positive and negative) are often gained relationally with family, friends, fellow classmates, and work colleagues. These relationships develop in community—whether WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION The World Health Organization (WHO) was created and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1948. As a member of the United Nations Develop- ment Group, WHO focuses its efforts on global public health, guiding research and monitoring implementation of health-related norms. Seven thousand employees strong, the WHO is present in 150 country offices. As a primary resource for this volume, the WHO is the global leader for prioritizing global public health initiatives, including eradicating communicable disease and stemming effects of noncommunicable diseases. There are six regional offices designed to gather and facilitate dissemination of health information. The WHO regularly produces the World Health Report, gathers critical data using the worldwide World Health Survey, and marks World Health Day.