The World Health Organization Is A Specialized Agency of The United Nations Responsible For International Public Health

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO)
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for
international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment
by all peoples of the highest possible level of health".
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, it has six regional offices and 150 field offices
worldwide.
Headquarters in Geneva
The WHO was established on 7 April 1948. The first meeting of the World Health
Assembly (WHA), the agency's governing body, took place on 24 July of that year. The WHO
incorporated the assets, personnel, and duties of the League of Nations' Health Organization
and the Office International d'Hygiène Publique, including the International Classification of
Diseases (ICD). Its work began in earnest in 1951 after a significant infusion of financial and
technical resources.
The WHO's mandate seeks and includes: working worldwide to promote health, keeping the
world safe, and serve the vulnerable. It advocates that a billion more people should
have: universal health care coverage, engagement with the monitoring of public health risks,
coordinating responses to health emergencies, and promoting health and well-being. It
provides technical assistance to countries, sets international health standards, and collects data
on global health issues. A publication, the World Health Report, provides assessments of
worldwide health topics. The WHO also serves as a forum for discussions of health issues.
The WHO has played a leading role in several public health achievements, most notably
the eradication of smallpox, the near-eradication of polio, and the development of an Ebola
vaccine. Its current priorities include communicable diseases,
particularly HIV/AIDS, Ebola, COVID-19, malaria and tuberculosis; non-communicable
diseases such as heart disease and cancer; healthy diet, nutrition, and food
security; occupational health; and substance abuse. Its World Health Assembly, the agency's
decision-making body, elects and advises an executive board made up of 34 health specialists. It
selects the director-general, sets goals and priorities, and approves the budget and activities.
The director-general is Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia.
The WHO relies on contributions from member states (both assessed and voluntary) and
private donors for funding. Its total approved budget for 2020–2021 is over $7.2 billion, of
which the majority comes from voluntary contributions from member states. Contributions are
assessed by a formula that includes GDP per capita. Among the largest contributors were
Germany (which contributed 12.18% of the budget), the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation (11.65%), and the United States (7.85%).
Since the late 20th century, the rise of new actors engaged in global health such as the World
Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
(PEPFAR) and dozens of public-private partnerships for global health have weakened the WHO’s
role as a coordinator and policy leader in the field.
WHO works worldwide to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable. Our
goal is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion
more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health
and well-being.
MISSION STATEMENT
Vision:
All people everywhere will have access to a skilled, motivated and supported health worker,
within a robust health system.
Mission:
To advocate and catalyze global and country actions to resolve the human resources for health
crisis, to support the achievement of the health-related millennium development goals and
health for all.
OBJECTIVES OF W.H.O.
1. Promoting development
During the past decade, health has achieved unprecedented prominence as a key driver of
socioeconomic progress, and more resources than ever are being invested in health. Yet
poverty continues to contribute to poor health, and poor health anchors large populations in
poverty. Health development is directed by the ethical principle of equity: Access to life-saving
or health-promoting interventions should not be denied for unfair reasons, including those with
economic or social roots. Commitment to this principle ensures that WHO activities aimed at
health development give priority to health outcomes in poor, disadvantaged or vulnerable
groups. Attainment of the health-related Millennium Development Goals, preventing and
treating chronic diseases and addressing the neglected tropical diseases are the cornerstones of
the health and development agenda.
2. Fostering health security
Shared vulnerability to health security threats demands collective action. One of the greatest
threats to international health security arises from outbreaks of emerging and epidemic-prone
diseases. Such outbreaks are occurring in increasing numbers, fuelled by such factors as rapid
urbanization, environmental mismanagement, the way food is produced and traded, and the
way antibiotics are used and misused. The world’s ability to defend itself collectively against
outbreaks has been strengthened since June 2007, when the revised International Health
Regulations came into force.
3. Strengthening health systems
For health improvement to operate as a poverty-reduction strategy, health services must reach
poor and underserved populations. Health systems in many parts of the world are unable to do
so, making the strengthening of health systems a high priority for WHO. Areas being addressed
include the provision of adequate numbers of appropriately trained staff, sufficient financing,
suitable systems for collecting vital statistics, and access to appropriate technology including
essential drugs.
4. Harnessing research, information and evidence
Evidence provides the foundation for setting priorities, defining strategies, and measuring
results. WHO generates authoritative health information, in consultation with leading experts,
to set norms and standards, articulate evidence-based policy options and monitor the evolving
global heath situation.
5. Enhancing partnerships
WHO carries out its work with the support and collaboration of many partners, including UN
agencies and other international organizations, donors, civil society and the private sector.
WHO uses the strategic power of evidence to encourage partners implementing programmes
within countries to align their activities with best technical guidelines and practices, as well as
with the priorities established by countries.
6. Improving performance
WHO participates in ongoing reforms aimed at improving its efficiency and effectiveness, both
at the international level and within countries. WHO aims to ensure that its strongest asset – its
staff – works in an environment that is motivating and rewarding. WHO plans its budget and
activities through results-based management, with clear expected results to measure
performance at country, regional and international levels.

The World Health Organization Is A Specialized Agency of The United Nations Responsible For International Public Health

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The World Health Organization Is A Specialized Agency of The United Nations Responsible For International Public Health

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The World Health Organization Is A Specialized Agency of The United Nations Responsible For International Public Health

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO)

You might also like