World Health Organization
Member profile
The World Health Organization (WHO) is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland with regional offices worldwide. When diplomats met to form the United Nations in 1945, one of the things they discussed was setting up a global health organization. WHO’s Constitution came into force on 7 April 1948 – a date we now celebrate every year as World Health Day.
WHO fulfils 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, catalysing change, and building sustainable institutional capacity; and
- monitoring the health situation and assessing health trends.
Main activities
In the 21st century, health is a shared responsibility, involving equitable access to essential care and collective defense against transnational threats. 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.
Links to the health workforce crisis
WHO’s commitment to the health workforce is apparent in its actions:
- Innovation in health professions education;
- Training and education curriculum design; educational management;
- community-oriented-problem-based programs, competency;
- accreditation of health professions education-based programs;
- and HRH policy, planning and management.
WHO joined the Alliance in 2006 as an implementing Partner.
Call for knowledge information:
Alliance Members are invited to submit any relevant knowledge products such as documents, reports, tools, multimedia, links to specific project web sites by sending an email to ghwa@who.int. The Alliance Secretariat will publish relevant products on the Member's page.
Visit our Knowledge centre.
