
The United Nations has different specialised agencies in charge of some specific affairs. One agency recently was located below the global spotlight. Many countries and people may only know about it during this COVID period and which is the World Health Organization, WHO in short, the agency responsible for international public health.
The World Health Organization's main functions includes: promoting the control of epidemic and endemic diseases; providing and improving teaching and training in public health, disease care and related matters; and promoting the establishment of international standards for biological products.
The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health". It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and obtains six regional offices and 150 field offices worldwide.
The WHO was established in early 1984 and it is already approx. 74 years old by now. The first meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA), the agency's governing body, took place in mid that year. As of 2019, the WHO has already recruited 194 member states.
The WHO's mandate includes advocating for universal health care, monitoring public health risks, coordinating responses to health emergencies, and promoting health and well-being. It provides technical assistance to countries, sets international health standards, and collects data on global health issues. A publication, the World Health Report, provides assessments of worldwide health topics. The WHO also serves as a forum for discussions of health issues.
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