WHO began when Constitution came into force on 7 April 1948 – a date we now celebrate every year as World Health Day. WHO are now more than 7000 people working in 150 country offices, in 6 regional offices and at WHO headquarters in Geneva.
We are the directing and coordinating authority on international health within the United Nations’ system.
We do this by:
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, catalysing change, and building sustainable institutional capacity; and
monitoring the health situation and assessing health trends.
Leadership priorities
For each 6-year programme of work priority areas are identified where our leadership is most needed.
