World Health Day is in part a celebration of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) on April 7, 1948. What role has the WHO played across the globe since then?
Mostly, the WHO only gets attention when it declares global health emergencies, like in 2009 with the swine flu, 2014 and 2019 with Ebola, and early this year with the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and the disease it causes, COVID-19. But the United Nations (UN) agency’s portfolio of tasks and its theaters of operation are much broader.
The WHO not only provides emergency assistance in its mission to foster the best health possible for citizens around the globe, it also monitors global health trends, especially as regards diet and sanitation. With 194 member states, the WHO leads the world in health research as well as establishing global norms and standards.
The idea of a separate health agency within the UN arose when the latter was founded during the United Nations Conference on International Organization (UNICO) after the end of the Second World War in 1945. The agency is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It has six regional offices as well as 150 national offices. The WHO says it employs roughly 7,000 individuals worldwide.
The WHO’s 2020-2021 operating budget is $4.8 billion (€4.8 billion). Statutory contributions from the UN’s 194 member states cover roughly one-fifth of the agency’s two-year budget. However, not all countries are obliged to pay the same amount, with those having the largest economies paying higher dues. The rest of the WHO’s budget is financed by sizable donations from philanthropic foundations, UN institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private donors.
The World Health Organization has taken on a central role in the fight to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is the most powerful weapon in the WHO’s arsenal.
Source: DW
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