World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a <a href="/facts/List_of_specialized_agencies_of_the_United_Nations/3E6gkQqp">specialized agency</a> of the <a href="/facts/United_Nations/fgXLnmgT">United Nations</a> which coordinates responses to international <a href="/facts/Public_health/4563Kre9">public health</a> issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in <a href="/facts/Geneva/14gXxjcq">Geneva</a>, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 150 field offices worldwide. Only sovereign states are eligible to join, and it is the largest intergovernmental health organization at the international level.
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." The main functions of the World Health Organization include promoting the control of epidemic and endemic diseases; providing and improving the teaching and training in public health, the medical treatment of disease, and related matters; and promoting the establishment of international standards for biological products.
The <a href="/facts/Establishment_of_the_World_Health_Organization/1LfmlxXp">WHO was established</a> on 7 April 1948, and formally began its work on 1 September 1948. It incorporated the assets, personnel, and duties of the <a href="/facts/League_of_Nations/PQlcKzXs">League of Nations</a>' Health Organization and the Paris-based <a href="/facts/International_Office_of_Public_Hygiene/FJgbyn8A">Office International d'Hygiène Publique</a>, including the <a href="/facts/International_Classification_of_Diseases/mxID6rJp">International Classification of Diseases</a> (ICD). The agency's work began in earnest in 1951 after a significant infusion of financial and technical resources.
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. Its official publication, the <a href="/facts/World_Health_Report/ve8vBm9A">World Health Report</a>, provides assessments of worldwide health topics.
The WHO has played a leading role in several public health achievements, most notably the <a href="/facts/Eradication_of_infectious_diseases/yraEql8B">eradication</a> of <a href="/facts/Smallpox/cxNeetP4">smallpox</a>, the near-<a href="/facts/Polio_eradication/GfAeHrse">eradication of polio</a>, and the development of an <a href="/facts/Ebola_vaccine/ksakN4t7">Ebola vaccine</a>. Its current priorities include <a href="/facts/Communicable_disease/182XrncP">communicable diseases</a>, such as <a href="/facts/HIV%2fAIDS/RqLIEMuJ">HIV/AIDS</a>, <a href="/facts/Ebola/9e8kyCVy">Ebola</a>, <a href="/facts/Malaria/rN3g58CX">malaria</a> and <a href="/facts/Tuberculosis/ggPyovAl">tuberculosis</a>; <a href="/facts/Non-communicable_disease/a3HxqDL3">non-communicable diseases</a> such as heart disease and <a href="/facts/Cancer/PVW6n1D0">cancer</a>; <a href="/facts/Healthy_eating/sjJBXc4l">healthy diet</a>, nutrition, and <a href="/facts/Food_security/cKrQd4E9">food security</a>; <a href="/facts/Occupational_health/ko1IeS92">occupational health</a>; and <a href="/facts/Substance_abuse/e3jLXFsF">substance abuse</a>. The agency advocates for <a href="/facts/Universal_health_care/pT6kLbAW">universal health care</a> coverage, engagement with the monitoring of <a href="/facts/Public_health/4563Kre9">public health</a> risks, coordinating responses to health emergencies, and promoting health and <a href="/facts/Well-being/h1dsU4VU">well-being</a> generally.
The WHO is governed by the <a href="/facts/World_Health_Assembly/j4fbxHMc">World Health Assembly</a> (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 <a href="/facts/Tedros_Adhanom_Ghebreyesus/QrD4Nu02">Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus</a> of <a href="/facts/Ethiopia/LVujNp5v">Ethiopia</a>); 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.

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World Health Organization