The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that works to promote global public health. It provides leadership on health matters, sets international health standards and guidelines, and monitors health trends worldwide. WHO aims to address major health challenges like achieving the Millennium Development Goals, preventing and treating chronic diseases, and strengthening health systems globally. It carries out its work with support from 193 member states and other partners through activities focused on health development, security, and performance improvement.

1. 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. In the 21st century,
health is a shared responsibility, involving equitable assess to essential care and collective
defense against transitional threats.
Agenda. WHO operates in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing landscape. The
boundaries of public health action have become blurred, extending in other sectors that
influence health opportunities and outcomes. Who responds to these challenges using a six
points address two health objectives, two strategic needs and two operational approaches. The
overall performance of WHO will be measured by the impact of its work on women’s health
and health in Africa.
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 s produced and traded,
and 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 Internationational Health Regulations came into force.
3. Strengthening Health systems
For health improvement to operate as a poverty-reduction strategy, health service must 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,
financing, suitable systems for collecting vital statistics, and access to appropriate technology
including essential drugs.
4. Harnessing health systems
Evidence provides the formulation 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 global health
situation.
5. Enhancing partnerships
WHO carries out its work with the support and collaboration of many partners, UN agencies
and other international organizations, donors, civil society and the private sector. WHO uses

2. the strategic power of evidence to encourage partners 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 – ots 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 role of WHO in public health
WHO fulfills its objectives through its core functions:
 Providing leadership on matters critical to health and engaging in partnerships
where joint action is needed;
 Shaping the research agenda and stimulating the generation, translation and
dissemination of valuable knowledge;
 Setting norms and standards and promoting and monitoring their
implementation;
 Articulating ethical and evidence-based policy options;
 Providing technical support , catalyzing change, and building sustainable
institutional capacity; and
 Monitoring the health situation and assessing health trends.
Governance of WHO
WHO’s objective, as set out in its constitution, is the attainment by all people of the highest
possible level of health. The Constitution defines health as a state of complete physical,
mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The World
Health Assembly is the supreme decision-making body for WHO. It meets each year in May
in Geneva, and is attended by delegations from all 193 Member states.
The executive board is composed of 34 members technically qualified in the field of health.
Members are elected for three year terms. The main board meeting, at which the agenda for
the forthcoming Health Assembly is agreed upon and resolutions are adopted for forwarding
to the Health Assembly, is held in January, with a second shorter meeting in May,
immediately after the Health Assembly, for more administrative matters. The main functions
of the Board are to give effect to the decisions and policies Health Assembly, to advise it and
generally to facilitate work.
The World Health Assembly is the supreme decision-making body for WHO. It generally
meets in Geneva in May each year, and is attended by delegations from all 193 member
states. Its main function is to determine the policies of the organization. The Health Assembly
appoints the Director-General, supervises the financial policies of the organization, and
reviews and approves the proposed program budget. It similarly considers reports of the
executive Board, which it instructs in regard to matters upon which further action, study,
investigation or report may be required.
The secretariat of WHO is staffed by some 8000 health and other experts and support staff on
fixed-term appointments, working at headquarters, in the six regional offices, and in
countries.
The organization is headed by the Director-General, who is appointed by the Health
Assembly on the nomination of the Executive Board.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN)
that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7th April
1948, and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and
resources of its predecessor, the Health Organization, which had been an agency of the
League of Nations.

3. Mission
The WHO’s Constitution states that its objective is “the attainment by all people of the
highest possible level of health.” Its major task is to promote the general health of the people
of the world.
Establishment
The World Health Organization is one of the original agencies of the United Nations, its
Constitution formally coming into force on the first World Health Day, (7th April 1948),
when it was ratified by the 26th member state. Prior to this, its operations as well as the
remaining activities of the League of Nations Health Organization were under the control of
an Interim Commission following an International Health Conference in summer of 1946.
The transfer was authorized by a Resolution of the General Assembly. The epidemiologic
service of the French Office International d’Hygiene publique was incorporated into the
Interim Commission of the WHO on 1st January 1947.
Summary
As well as coordinating international efforts to monitor outbreaks of infectious diseases, such
as SARS, malaria, and AIDS, the WHO also sponsors programs to prevent and treat such
diseases. The WHO supports the development and distribution of safe and effective vaccines,
pharmaceutical diagnostics and drugs. After over 2 decades of fighting small pox, the WHO
declared in 1980 that the disease had been eradicated – the first disease in history to be
eliminated by human effort.
The WHO aims to eradicate polio within the next few years. The organization had already
endorsed the world’s first official HIV/AIDS Toolkit for Zimbabwe (from 3rd October, 2006)
making it an International standard.
The WHO also conducts research on many things, sometimes this can be controversial, but it
stands by its recommendation based upon its own analysis of scientific studies.