World Health Organization

About

The World Health Organization (WHO) serves as the directing and coordinating authority on international health within the United Nations system. Founded on April 7, 1948, WHO emerged from the recognition that health security requires global cooperation and that disease knows no borders. The organization's constitution came into force with the objective of attaining the highest possible level of health for all people, defining health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease. WHO operates through its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, six regional offices, and country offices in over 150 nations. The organization employs thousands of health professionals, scientists, epidemiologists, and support staff who work on a vast range of health issues. Its governance structure includes the World Health Assembly, composed of representatives from all member states, which meets annually to set policies, approve budgets, and elect the Director-General. The organization's work spans numerous areas including communicable disease control, noncommunicable disease prevention, health systems strengthening, essential medicines, vaccines, maternal and child health, nutrition, environmental health, and health emergencies. WHO establishes international health regulations, develops treatment guidelines, maintains essential medicines lists, and coordinates responses to disease outbreaks and health emergencies. Throughout its history, WHO has achieved remarkable successes. The organization led the global campaign that resulted in the eradication of smallpox, declared complete in 1980. This remains one of the greatest achievements in public health history. WHO has also made significant progress in reducing polio cases by over 99 percent since 1988, bringing the world close to eradicating this disease as well. WHO played central roles in identifying and responding to emerging infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS, SARS, H1N1 influenza, Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19. During the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2019, WHO coordinated international scientific research, provided guidance to countries, facilitated vaccine development through initiatives like COVAX, and worked to ensure equitable access to medical countermeasures. The organization addresses major global health challenges including antimicrobial resistance, which threatens to undermine modern medicine; the rise of noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes; and health inequities between and within countries. WHO advocates for universal health coverage, emphasizing that everyone should have access to quality health services without facing financial hardship. WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, adopted in 2003, became the first international treaty negotiated under WHO auspices. It has been ratified by over 180 countries and has contributed to reducing tobacco use globally. The organization also works on road safety, mental health, substance abuse, violence prevention, and the health impacts of climate change. The organization relies on assessed contributions from member states and voluntary contributions from members and partners. Funding priorities and allocation have been subjects of ongoing discussion, with debates about the balance between donor-specified funding and flexible resources that allow WHO to address priorities identified through its governance mechanisms. WHO collaborates extensively with governments, other UN agencies, nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions, and the private sector. These partnerships enable coordinated responses to complex health challenges that no single entity could address alone. The organization's technical guidance, normative work, and standard-setting functions influence health policies and practices worldwide, affecting billions of people.

Notable work

• Eradication of smallpox (declared 1980)
• Near-eradication of polio
• International Health Regulations
• COVID-19 pandemic response and COVAX initiative
• Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
• Essential Medicines List
• HIV/AIDS treatment guidelines and access initiatives
• Ebola outbreak responses in Africa
• Elimination of several neglected tropical diseases

Notable leadership

• Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Director-General, 2017-present)
• Margaret Chan (Director-General, 2007-2017)
• Gro Harlem Brundtland (Director-General, 1998-2003)
• Halfdan T. Mahler (Director-General, 1973-1988)
• Brock Chisholm (first Director-General, 1948-1953)

Awards

History

• WHO's constitution was signed by 61 countries on July 22, 1946, at the International Health Conference in New York.
• The organization officially came into existence on April 7, 1948, when the constitution was ratified by the 26th member state. This date is now commemorated annually as World Health Day.
• Inherited responsibilities and resources from predecessor organizations including the Health Organization of the League of Nations and the International Sanitary Conferences.
• Launched the global smallpox eradication program in 1967, achieving success in 1980.
• Declared HIV/AIDS a global pandemic in the 1980s and has coordinated international response efforts since.
• Responded to SARS outbreak in 2003, establishing protocols for emerging infectious disease surveillance.
• Coordinated responses to H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009, Ebola outbreaks in West Africa (2014-2016) and Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zika virus epidemic.
• Led global response to COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020, declaring it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in January 2020.

Timeline

1. 1946
   Constitution signed by 61 countries
2. 1948
   WHO officially established on April 7
3. 1967
   Global smallpox eradication campaign launched
4. 1978
   Alma-Ata Declaration on Primary Health Care adopted
5. 1980
   Smallpox declared eradicated
6. 1988
   Global Polio Eradication Initiative launched
7. 2003
   Framework Convention on Tobacco Control adopted; SARS outbreak response
8. 2005
   Revised International Health Regulations adopted
9. 2014
   West Africa Ebola outbreak response
10. 2020
    COVID-19 declared Public Health Emergency of International Concern

Interesting facts

• April 7, the date WHO was founded, is celebrated annually as World Health Day with different themes each year.
• WHO was responsible for the only disease ever eradicated by human effort: smallpox.
• The organization maintains a list of essential medicines that guides procurement decisions in countries worldwide.
• WHO operates the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, which can deploy experts rapidly to disease outbreaks anywhere.
• The organization's emblem features the Rod of Asclepius, an ancient Greek symbol associated with healing, superimposed on a UN world map.
• WHO has six regional offices serving Africa, the Americas, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Western Pacific.
• The organization publishes the International Classification of Diseases, used globally for health statistics and billing.

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