The World Health Organisation

The World Health Organisation

Founded in 1948, the World Health Organization leads the world

alliance for health for all. A specialized agency of the United

Nations with 191 Member Sates, WHO promotes technical cooperation for

health among nations, carries out programmes to control and eradicate

disease, and strives to improve the quality of human life.

WHO has four main functions:

* to give worldwide guidance in the field of health

* to set global standards for health

* to cooperate with governments in strengthening national health

programmes

* to develop and transfer appropriate health technology, information

and standards

The WHO definition of health:

'Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being

and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.'

A major event in WHO's first fifty years was the global eradication of

smallpox. This disease scarred and killed millions before being

officially declared eradicated in 1980. Eradication resulted in a huge

reduction in human suffering and great financial savings. The United

States alone saves its entire investment in the eradication programme

every month because costly protection measures are no longer needed.

Other diseases such as polio and guinea-worm disease are on the verge

of eradication and, thanks to new and better methods of treatment,

leprosy is also being overcome.

But, as well as fighting infectious diseases, WHO is a key player in

promoting primary health care, delivering essential drugs, making

cities healthier, building partnerships for health, promoting healthy

lifestyles and environments to achie...

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... new global health policy to meet future health challenges has been

developed by the World Health Organization in consultation with all

its national and international partners.

Health for All (HFA) seeks to create the conditions where people have,

as a fundamental human right, the opportunity to reach and maintain

the highest attainable level of health. The vision of a renewed HFA

policy builds on the WHO Constitution, the experience of the past and

the needs of the future.

For two centuries it was known that smallpox could be prevented, but

only in the 20th Century was a coalition organised by WHO able to do

something definitive about it. With political will, commitment and a

willingness to work together, there is no reason why this success

cannot be continued.

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