World Health Organization

"WHO" and "The WHO" redirect here. For other uses, see Who (disambiguation). For the band, see The Who.

World Health Organization (WHO)
AbbreviationWHO
Pronunciation
  • Initialism (W-H-O) by WHO itself and governmental stakeholders
Formation7 April 1948; 76 years ago (1948-04-07)
TypeUnited Nations specialized agency
Legal statusActive
HeadquartersGeneva, Switzerland 46°13′56″N 06°08′03″E / 46.23222°N 6.13417°E / 46.23222; 6.13417
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Deputy Director General
Michael Ryan
Parent organization
United Nations Economic and Social Council
Budget
$6.83 billion (2024–25)
Websitewho.int

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for global public health.[2] It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has six regional offices[3] and 150 field offices worldwide. Only sovereign States can participate, and it is the largest intergovernmental health organization at the international level.[4]

The WHO's purpose is to achieve the highest possible level of health for all the world's people, defining health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."[5] The main functions of the World Health Organization include: to promote the control of epidemic and endemic diseases; to provide and improve the teaching and training in public health, the medical treatment of disease and related matters; and to promote the establishment of international standards for biological products.

The WHO was established on April 7, 1948, and formally began its work on September 1, 1948.[6] It incorporated the assets, personnel, and duties of the League of Nations' Health Organization and the Paris-based Office International d'Hygiène Publique, including the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).[7] The agency's work began in earnest in 1951 after a significant infusion of financial and technical resources.[8]

The WHO's official mandate is to promote health and safety while helping the vulnerable worldwide. It provides technical assistance to countries, sets international health standards, collects data on global health issues, and serves as a forum for scientific or policy discussions related to health.[2] Its official publication, the World Health Report, provides assessments of worldwide health topics.[9]

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, such as HIV/AIDS, Ebola, malaria and tuberculosis; non-communicable diseases such as heart disease and cancer; healthy diet, nutrition, and food security; occupational health; and substance abuse. The agency advocates for universal health care coverage, engagement with the monitoring of public health risks, coordinating responses to health emergencies, and promoting health and well-being generally.[10]

The WHO is governed by the World Health Assembly (WHA), which is composed of its 194 member states. The WHA elects and advises an executive board made up of 34 health specialists; selects the WHO's chief administrator, the director-general (currently Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia);[11] sets goals and priorities; and approves the budget and activities. The WHO is funded primarily by contributions from member states (both assessed and voluntary), followed by private donors. Its total approved budget for 2020–2021 is over $7.2 billion,[2][12] while the approved budget for 2022–2023 is over $6.2 billion. The budget is $6.83 billion for 2024–2025.

  1. ^ "Modernizing the WHO headquarters in Geneva" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "The U.S. Government and the World Health Organization". The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 24 January 2019. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Regional offices". www.who.int. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  4. ^ "WHO (World Health Organisation)". Information Saves Lives | Internews. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Constitution of the World Health Organization". www.who.int. Retrieved 18 November 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Ascher, Charles S. (1952). "Current Problems in the World Health Organization's Program". International Organization. 6 (1): 27–50. doi:10.1017/S0020818300016179. ISSN 1531-5088. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Milestones for health over 70 years". World Health Organization/Europe. 17 March 2020. Archived from the original on 9 April 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  8. ^ "World Health Organization | History, Organization, & Definition of Health". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  9. ^ "WHO | World health report 2013: Research for universal health coverage". WHO. Archived from the original on 15 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  10. ^ "What we do". World Health Organization. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Dr Tedros takes office as WHO Director-General". World Health Organization. 1 July 2017. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  12. ^ "WHO | Programme Budget Web Portal". open.who.int. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.