What is WHO?

The World Health Organization [English W orld H ealth O rganization], abbreviated as WHO by abbreviationfinder, is an organization that deals with global health issues.

The focus of the work of the organization is the fight against diseases, especially infectious diseases such as AIDS. The aim of the WHO is to offer all people in the world the best possible medical care and to protect people from disease.

When a contagious disease breaks out in a country, the most important thing is to help quickly. The WHO then tries to ensure local medical care. For example, by sending medical teams and medicines into the country. Another task of the WHO is to prevent the spread of diseases. The WHO has vaccines developed for this purpose and tries to protect people around the world from such diseases. The WHO offers its help to many poorer countries by informing the local population about health issues and advising them on how to get cheap medicines.

The World Health Organization works worldwide and employs around 7,000 people. A total of 194 countries around the world are members of the WHO. The headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.

World Health Organization

World Health Organization English World Health Organization [wə ː ld helθ ɔ ː gəna ɪ ze ɪ ʃ n], abbreviation WHO, the United Nations specialized agency with 194 member states, established on 07.04.1948 with headquarters in Geneva.

The main tasks of the WHO are the fight against diseases that promote the general health of all people worldwide. As the coordinating authority for global public health, the WHO sets norms and standards. These are processed based on evidence and formulated as health policy principles.

The organs of the World Health Organization are the annual World Health Assembly, the Executive Board and the Secretariat. There are also regional organizations for Africa (seat: Brazzaville), America (seat: Washington, DC), the Eastern Mediterranean (seat: Cairo), Europe (seat: Copenhagen), Southeast Asia (seat: Delhi) and the western Pacific (seat: Manila). The WHO employs a total of over 7,000 people.

The World Health Organization gives v. a. Help in developing countries (organization of health services, training of doctors and medical staff, improvement of the water supply, control of epidemics, etc.) with the aim of bringing about the best achievable state of health for all people on earth, whereby health is not just about being free from disease or infirmity is understood, but the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being (health).

World Health Organization WHO

The most important initiatives and activities of the World Health Organization currently deal with AIDS, malaria, SARS, SARS-CoV-2 and influenza, with tuberculosis, polio as well as worldwide nutrition problems and tobacco addiction. The WHO achieved great success in the fight against infectious diseases and initiated global vaccination programs. It collects and analyzes health and disease data and supports its member states in the implementation of health programs.

UN professional bodies

The specialized bodies have an independent position within the UN system. They have their own charter, their own circle of Member States, their own director general and secretariat, and their own governing bodies, which independently control the activities.

Some professional bodies are intergovernmental organizations that came into being as early as the 19th century. These include the World Postal Union (UPU), formed in 1874 to promote international co-operation on postal services and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), founded in 1865 to promote international co-operation in telecommunications. These have since been linked to the UN system. Other unions, such as the International Labor Organization (ILO), have previously been affiliated with the League of Nations. Some specialized bodies have been set up by the UN itself. The World Health Organization (WHO) is one such body, as is the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The ILO, WHO and FAO, together with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), are usually part of the “major professional bodies” group. The economic heavyweights, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have a looser connection to the UN system than the other professional bodies, while the World Trade Organization (WTO) is formally excluded.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is not a specialist body. Unlike these, which submit annual reports to Ecosoc, the IAEA reports directly to the General Assembly and the Security Council.

Some of the specialist bodies have occasionally ended up in bad weather and received criticism from various quarters. Several professional bodies have begun a review of their activities. Like the UN, they try to make operations more efficient and less resource-intensive. Some trade unions have succeeded better in this than the UN itself.