World Health Organization : In News
The World Health Organization chief recently asked global leaders to lean on Washington to reverse President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the U.N. health agency.
- World Health Organization (WHO) is the United Nations specialized agency for health.
- It was established in 1948 with the objective of the attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health.
- Health, as defined in the WHO Constitution, is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
- WHO 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.
- It has 193 member countries and two associate members.
- It has its administrative headquarters in Geneva,Switzerland.
- The governance of WHO operates through the World Health Assembly, which meets annually as the general policy-making body, and through an Executive Board of health specialists elected for three-year terms by the assembly.
- The agency is led by a director general nominated by the Executive Board and appointed by the World Health Assembly.
- Roughly 16 percent of the budget comes from mandatory dues paid by members; the rest is made up of voluntary donations from governments and private partners.
