The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. WHO Headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland. WHO is governed by 194 Member states grouped into 6 region. Each region is represented by a regional office, which coordinates programming in country offices an field offices. The WHO regions are:
• African Region
• Region of the Americas / Pan American Health Organization
• Eastern Mediterranean Region
• European Region
• South East Asia Region
• Western Pacific Region
Formation – 7 April 1948
Type – United Nations specialized agency
Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
Director General – Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Deputy Director General – Michael Ryan
Parent Organisation – United Nations
The world health organization was established on April 7, 1948 and formally began its work on September 1, 1948. 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 discussion related to health.
The WHO has played a leading role in several public health achievements, most motable the eradication of smallpox, the eradication of polio, and the development of an Ebola vaccine. The agency advocates for universal health care coverage, engagement with the monitoring of public health risks and promoting health and well being generally.
The WHO is governed by the World Health Assembly (WHA) , which is composed of its 194 member states. Currently, the WHO’s chief administrator, the director general is Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia.
The WHO is funded primarily by contributions from member states followed by private donors. Its total approval budget for 2020-21 is over $7.2 billion, while the approval budget for 2022-23 is over $ 6.2 billion. The budget is $ 6.83 billion for 2024-25.
The constitution of the World Health Organization was signed by all 51 countries of the United Nations.
The WHO’s constitution states that its objective ” is the attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health.”
