OBJECTIVE
The objective of the World Health Organization (hereinafter called the Organization) shall be the
attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.
FUNCTIONS
In order to achieve its objective, the functions of the Organization shall be: (a) to act as the directing
and co-ordinating authority on international health work; (b) to establish and maintain effective
collaboration with the United Nations, specialized agencies, governmental health administrations,
professional groups and such other organizations as may be deemed appropriate; (c) to assist
Governments, upon request, in strengthening health services; (d) to furnish appropriate technical
assistance and, in emergencies, necessary aid upon the request or acceptance of Governments; (e)
to provide or assist in providing, upon the request of the United Nations, health services and
facilities to special groups, such as the peoples of trust territories; (f) to establish and maintain such
administrative and technical services as may be required, including epidemiological and statistical
services; (g) to stimulate and advance work to eradicate epidemic, endemic and other diseases; (h)
to promote, in co-operation with other specialized agencies where necessary, the prevention of
accidental injuries; (i) to promote, in co-operation with other specialized agencies where necessary,
the improvement of nutrition, housing, sanitation, recreation, economic or working conditions and
other aspects of environmental hygiene; (j) to promote co-operation among scientific and
professional groups which contribute to the advancement of health; (k) to propose conventions,
agreements and regulations, and make recommendations with respect to international health
matters and to perform such duties as may be assigned thereby to the Organization and are
consistent with its objective; (l) to promote maternal and child health and welfare and to foster the
ability to live harmoniously in a changing total environment; (m) to foster activities in the field of
mental health, especially those affecting the harmony of human relations; (n) to promote and
conduct research in the field of health; (o) to promote improved standards of teaching and training
in the health, medical and related professions; (p) to study and report on, in co-operation with other
specialized agencies where necessary, administrative and social techniques affecting public health
and medical care from preventive and curative points of view, including hospital services and social
security; (q) to provide information, counsel and assistance in the field of health; (r) to assist in
developing an informed public opinion among all peoples on matters of health; (s) to establish and
revise as necessary international nomenclatures of diseases, of causes of death and of public health
practices; (t) to standardize diagnostic procedures as necessary; (u) to develop, establish and
promote international standards with respect to food, biological, pharmaceutical and similar
products; (v) generally to take all necessary action to attain the objective of the Organization.
The work of the Organization shall be carried out by:
(a) The World Health Assembly (herein called the Health Assembly); (b) The Executive Board
(hereinafter called the Board); (c) The Secretariat.
Brief History of WHO
The World Health Organization was created in 1948 to coordinate health affairs within the United
Nations system. Its initial priorities were malaria, tuberculosis, venereal disease and other
communicable diseases, plus women and children’s health, nutrition and sanitation. From the start, it
worked with member countries to identify and address public health issues, support health research
and issue guidelines. It also classified diseases. In addition to governments, WHO coordinated with
other UN agencies, donors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector.
[2]
Investigating and managing disease outbreaks was the responsibility of each individual country,
although under the International Health Regulations, governments were expected to report cases of a
few contagious diseases such as plague, cholera and yellow fever. WHO had no authority to police
what member countries did.
Gro Harlem Brundtland
source: Wikimedia commons
By 2003 WHO, headquartered in Geneva, was organized into 141 country offices which reported to
six regional offices. It had 192 member countries and employed about 8,000 doctors, scientists,
epidemiologists, managers and administrators worldwide; the budget for 2002-2003 was $2.23 billion.
[3]
Its director general was Gro Harlem Brundtland, a medical doctor and former prime minister of
Norway. The majority of its funding came from annual assessments plus voluntary contributions from
member countries. WHO had enjoyed a number of signal successes over the years, most prominently
a steep reduction in river blindness, and the eradication of smallpox (certified by the World Health
Assembly in 1980). It was criticized, however, for being slow to react when HIV/AIDS exploded across
the world.
Networks. A 1995 outbreak of Ebola virus in the Congo, which raged for three months unbeknownst to
WHO, revealed a startling lack of global public health surveillance and notification systems. So in
1997, WHO (in collaboration with Canada) rolled out the Global Public Health Intelligence Network
(GPHIN), which took advantage of information on the Internet to function as an early warning system
for potential epidemics. Among other strengths, GPHIN could pick up even cases not officially
reported if they were mentioned in blogs or online postings. WHO supplemented this in 2000 with the
Global Outbreak Alert Response Network (GOARN) to analyze events once they were detected.
GOARN linked 120 networks and institutes with the data, laboratories, skills and experience to take
action swiftly in a crisis.
The country offices were WHO’s primary contact points with governments. A country office provided
technical support on health matters, shared relevant global standards and guidelines, and relayed
government requests and requirements to other levels of WHO. It also informed and followed up with
the host government on reports of disease outbreaks outside the country. The country offices had to
balance two competing missions: support and cooperate with the host government, but also represent
the interests of the other 191 member countries in the event of a global health event. Finally, a WHO
country office provided advice and guidance on public health to other UN agency offices in-country
