WHO PRESENCE IN COUNTRIES,
TERRITORIES AND AREAS
2025 REPORT
Stronger WHO country presence for a healthier and safer world
Our partners
Powering health impact through partnerships and sustainable investment
Tackling global health challenges – ranging from strengthening health systems to responding to emergencies – goes beyond expertise. It requires collaboration that empowers countries to enhance their capacity to manage and address their own health needs. Across country offices, WHO works alongside governments, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions and communities to empower countries.
These partnerships extend across borders, mobilizing resources, technical expertise and political will to confront the world’s most pressing health issues. However, achieving impact at this scale hinges on a sustainably financed WHO. Predictable and flexible funding ensures that country offices can deliver timely, evidence-based support tailored to the unique health needs of each country. Investing in WHO is an investment in a healthier, fairer and more resilient world.
WHO Armenia provided support to the Ministry of Health Armenia, 3 burn survivors of the depot explosion were evacuated from Armenia by the Governments of Romania and Belgium to receive specialized treatment.
Diverse partnerships that drive impact
Harnessing tailored collaboration
To build synergies and expand capacities to help countries deliver on their priorities, the Secretariat works with a strong collaborative network of diverse entities. Nearly all country offices work closely with national health ministries to ensure alignment with national health priorities, while strong engagement with academic institutions and nongovernmental organizations enhances access to expertise, resources and community-level support. Collaboration with local authorities and other WHO Member States, particularly through south-south and triangular cooperation, facilitates knowledge-sharing, while partnerships with intergovernmental organizations outside the United Nations system support regional and global coordination.
77% of country offices are in countries with an established health partner coordination mechanism
- WHO leads 45% of these efforts
- WHO co-leads 40% of these efforts
- WHO supports 11% of these efforts
- WHO is involved in other ways in 4% of these efforts
Entities supporting WHO country offices in delivering results, categorized by WCO typology
The scope and diversity of these partnerships varies by country office type, which is determined by the tailored support that each office provides.
- Typology A (policy support) country offices primarily engage with governments and academic institutions.
- Typology B (targeted technical and strategic support) offices collaborate more with United Nations entities and nongovernmental organizations.
- Typology C (moderate technical support) offices broaden engagement to include philanthropic foundations.
- Typology D (full technical support, including emergency response) offices expand collaboration further, including with the private sector.
- Typology E (comprehensive support, including field operations) offices engage the widest range of partners, including local authorities, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector to support complex health interventions.
While engagement with the private sector and philanthropic foundations remains lower than other partnerships, there is significant potential for growth in these areas to enhance WHO’s impact at the country level.
Responding to Health Needs in the Wake of Cyclone Chido, December 2024
Multisectoral engagement for health
Expanding reach across sectors
To pursue the health priorities of the country, WHO country offices are working with Ministries of Health to strengthen their multisectoral collaborations for health in areas such as climate change, foreign affairs, education, agriculture and social welfare.
Top 10 government entities in other sectors with which WCOs collaborate on health objectives across all country offices
Bottom 10 government entities in other sectors with which WCOs collaborate on health objectives across all country offices
As WHO country offices progress from type A to type E, the scope and diversity of their partnerships expands, with over 50% of offices reporting engagement across multiple sectors.
- Typology A country offices, which focus on policy support, primarily collaborate with the foreign affairs, education and social welfare sectors.
- Typology B offices, offering targeted technical and strategic support, focus on sectors such as environment/climate change, education, parliament and finance.
- Typology C offices, providing moderate technical support, predominantly engage with the environment/climate change, social welfare, parliament and foreign affairs sectors.
- Typology D offices, which offer full technical support, centre on environment/climate change, foreign affairs and agriculture.
- Typology E offices, delivering comprehensive support including field operations, engage the broadest range of sectors, with significant partnerships in education, environment/climate change, foreign affairs, women/gender and agriculture.
These offices exemplify the growing complexity and breadth of WHO's cross-sectoral engagement at the country level.
Solomon Islands: Providing COVID-19 and other vaccines to remote communities
Collaboration within the United Nations system
Stronger together
WHO country offices are deeply embedded within the United Nations system, working closely with health-focused entities such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS to pool expertise and resources for more effective health interventions. These partnerships are crucial for improving outcomes on the ground. Additionally, WHO engages with organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Organization for Migration and the World Food Programme (WFP) to tackle broader health determinants such as food security, poverty and migration, which are key factors in complex health environments. WHO’s role in shaping strategic documents, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, ensures that health remains a central priority in national development plans, reinforcing the UN’s collective efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and promote sustainable development worldwide.
United Nations system entities supporting WHO country offices in delivering results across all country offices
United Nations system entities supporting WHO country offices in delivering results, across all country offices by WCO typology
91% OF COUNTRY OFFICES ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN UN PLANNING PROCESSES
- 81% contribute to both the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework and common country analysis
- 12% focus solely on the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework
- 4% focus only on common country analysis
WHO country offices play a vital role in integrating health priorities into national development agendas through strong engagement in United Nations coordination.
85% OF COUNTRY OFFICES PARTICIPATE IN UN COMMON BUSINESS OPERATIONS
- 51% in common procurement activities
- 48% in common logistics operations
- 45% in common information and communication technology
- 39% in common facility-related operations
- 32% in human resources and finance.
WHO country offices' growing alignment with United Nations reform enhances efficiency, strengthens collaboration and drives collective impact.
- Typology A offices primarily partner with agencies such as the International Labour Organization and UNDP, focusing on normative work rather than field-based interventions, with limited involvement from operational agencies such as UNICEF and WFP.
- Typology B offices expand their collaboration to include health-focused agencies such as UNICEF, UNFPA and UNDP, though their engagement remains more strategic than operational.
- Typology C offices broaden their scope by working with a wider range of United Nations entities, including WFP, FAO and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), particularly in fragile settings where food security and humanitarian aid are critical.
- Typology D offices play a key role in crisis response, collaborating extensively with agencies such as WFP, UNICEF and UNHCR to address urgent health needs.
- Typology E offices engage deeply with all United Nations entities, ensuring robust coordination across humanitarian and development sectors in complex health contexts.
Humanitarian Air Bridge delivers medical aid in response to Afghanistan earthquake - July 2022
The Netherlands: Rotterdam Medical Centre, WHO Collaborating