World Health Organization (WHO)

What is the World Health Organization?

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the leading international organization in healthcare. It is responsible for providing guidance on health matters, setting standards and monitoring health trends. The WHO also works to improve access to healthcare and to promote health equity.

The WHO was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization has a staff of over 7,000 and a budget of over US$4 billion. The WHO is a member of the United Nations system and works closely with other UN agencies, such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

The WHO's work is divided into six main areas:

The WHO's work in health promotion includes raising awareness of health issues and promoting healthy lifestyles. The organization works to prevent disease by providing immunisation and disease control programmes. It also works to protect people's health by monitoring food safety and environmental health.

The WHO strives to improve access to healthcare by providing essential medicines and health technologies. It also works to ensure that all people have equitable access to healthcare. The WHO's research and development work includes developing new vaccines and medicines, and improving health information systems.

The WHO is the world's leading authority on public health. The organization provides guidance on health matters, sets standards and monitors health trends. The WHO also works to improve access to healthcare and to promote health equity.

What are the World Health Organization's priorities?

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the leading international organization in healthcare. Its priorities are to promote health, prevent disease and injury, and to relieve suffering.

The WHO's work is guided by its constitution, which states that its objective "is the attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health".

The WHO's primary role is to direct and coordinate international health within the United Nations system. It does this by working with governments, non-governmental organizations, and other partners.

The WHO has a number of programs and initiatives which aim to improve health globally. These include:

The WHO also provides guidance on health issues, such as:

The WHO is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has regional offices in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe.

What does the World Health Organization do?

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

The WHO Constitution, which was adopted by the International Health Conference in New York in 1946 and came into force on 7 April 1948, sets out the Organization’s fundamental principles, including its commitment to the highest attainable standard of health for all people.

The WHO’s primary role is to direct and coordinate international health within the United Nations system. To this end, the WHO:

The WHO also has a mandate to promote and protect the health of all people, regardless of nationality. In carrying out its work, the WHO focuses on six strategic priorities:

The WHO’s work is guided by the WHO Constitution, which sets out the Organization’s fundamental principles, including its commitment to the highest attainable standard of health for all people.

The WHO’s primary role is to direct and coordinate international health within the United Nations system.