World Health Organization - wikipedia World Health Organization `` WHO '' redirects here. For other uses, see Who ( disambiguation ). World Health Organization Flag of the World Health Organization Abbreviation WHO OMS Formation 7 April 1948 ; 70 years ago ( 1948 - 04 - 07 ) Type Specialized agency of the United Nations Legal status Active Headquarters Geneva, Switzerland Head Tedros Adhanom, Director - General Parent organization United Nations Economic and Social Council ( ECOSOC ) Website www.who.int The World Health Organization ( WHO ; French : Organisation mondiale de la santé ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948 headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group. Its predecessor, the Health Organization, was an agency of the League of Nations. The constitution of the World Health Organization had been signed by 61 countries on 7 April 1948, with the first meeting of the World Health Assembly finishing on 24 July 1948. It incorporated the Office International d'Hygiène Publique and the League of Nations Health Organization. Since its creation, it has played a leading role in the eradication of smallpox. Its current priorities include communicable diseases, in particular HIV / AIDS, Ebola, malaria and tuberculosis ; the mitigation of the effects of non-communicable diseases ; sexual and reproductive health, development, and ageing ; nutrition, food security and healthy eating ; occupational health ; substance abuse ; and driving the development of reporting, publications, and networking. The WHO is responsible for the World Health Report, the worldwide World Health Survey, and World Health Day. The Director - General of WHO is Tedros Adhanom who started his five - year term on 1 July 2017. Contents 1 History 1.1 Origins 1.2 Establishment 1.3 Operational history 1.4 Overall focus 1.5 Communicable diseases 1.6 Non-communicable diseases 1.7 Environmental health 1.8 Life course and life style 1.9 Surgery and trauma care 1.10 Emergency work 1.11 Health policy 1.12 Governance and support 1.12. 1 Partnerships 1.12. 2 Public health education and action 1.13 Data handling and publications 2 Structure 2.1 Membership 2.2 Assembly and Executive Board 2.3 Regional offices 2.4 People 2.5 Country and liaison offices 2.6 Financing and partnerships 3 Controversies 3.1 IAEA -- Agreement WHA 12 -- 40 3.2 Roman Catholic Church and AIDS 3.3 Intermittent preventive therapy 3.4 Diet and sugar intake 3.5 2009 swine flu pandemic 3.6 2013 -- 2016 Ebola outbreak and reform efforts 3.7 FCTC implementation database 3.8 IARC controversies 3.9 Block of Taiwanese participation 3.10 Travel expenses 3.11 Robert Mugabe 's role as a goodwill ambassador 4 World headquarters 4.1 Early views 4.2 Views 2013 5 See also 6 Notes and references 7 External links History Origins The International Sanitary Conferences, originally held on 23 June 1851, were the first predecessors of the WHO. A series of 14 conferences that lasted from 1851 to 1938, the International Sanitary Conferences worked to combat many diseases, chief among them cholera, yellow fever, and the bubonic plague. The conferences were largely ineffective until the seventh, in 1892 ; when an International Sanitary Convention that dealt with cholera was passed. Five years later, a convention for the plague was signed. In part as a result of the successes of the Conferences, the Pan-American Sanitary Bureau, and the Office International d'Hygiène Publique were soon founded in 1902 and 1907, respectively. When the League of Nations was formed in 1920, they established the Health Organization of the League of Nations. After World War II, the United Nations absorbed all the other health organizations, to form the WHO. Establishment During the 1945 United Nations Conference on International Organization, Szeming Sze, a delegate from China, conferred with Norwegian and Brazilian delegates on creating an international health organization under the auspices of the new United Nations. After failing to get a resolution passed on the subject, Alger Hiss, the Secretary General of the conference, recommended using a declaration to establish such an organization. Sze and other delegates lobbied and a declaration passed calling for an international conference on health. The use of the word `` world '', rather than `` international '', emphasized the truly global nature of what the organization was seeking to achieve. The constitution of the World Health Organization was signed by all 51 countries of the United Nations, and by 10 other countries, on 22 July 1946. It thus became the first specialized agency of the United Nations to which every member subscribed. Its constitution formally came into force on the first World Health Day on 7 April 1948, when it was ratified by the 26th member state. The first meeting of the World Health Assembly finished on 24 July 1948, having secured a budget of US $5 million ( then GB £ 1,250,000 ) for the 1949 year. Andrija Stampar was the Assembly 's first president, and G. Brock Chisholm was appointed Director - General of WHO, having served as Executive Secretary during the planning stages. Its first priorities were to control the spread of malaria, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections, and to improve maternal and child health, nutrition and environmental hygiene. Its first legislative act was concerning the compilation of accurate statistics on the spread and morbidity of disease. The logo of the World Health Organization features the Rod of Asclepius as a symbol for healing. Operational history Three former directors of the Global Smallpox Eradication Programme read the news that smallpox had been globally eradicated, 1980 In 1947 the WHO established an epidemiological information service via telex, and by 1950 a mass tuberculosis inoculation drive using the BCG vaccine was under way. In 1955, the malaria eradication programme was launched, although it was later altered in objective. 1965 saw the first report on diabetes mellitus and the creation of the International Agency for Research on Cancer. In 1958, Viktor Zhdanov, Deputy Minister of Health for the USSR, called on the World Health Assembly to undertake a global initiative to eradicate smallpox, resulting in Resolution WHA11. 54. At this point, 2 million people were dying from smallpox every year. In 1966, WHO moved into its headquarters building. In 1967, the World Health Organization intensified the global smallpox eradication by contributing $2.4 million annually to the effort and adopted a new disease surveillance method. The initial problem the WHO team faced was inadequate reporting of smallpox cases. WHO established a network of consultants who assisted countries in setting up surveillance and containment activities. The WHO also helped contain the last European outbreak in Yugoslavia in 1972. After over two decades of fighting smallpox, the WHO declared in 1979 that the disease had been eradicated -- the first disease in history to be eliminated by human effort. In 1974, the Expanded Programme on Immunization and the control programme of onchocerciasis was started, an important partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO ), the United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP ), and World Bank. In 1967 the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases was also launched. In 1976, the World Health Assembly voted to enact a resolution on Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation, with a focus on community - driven care. In 1977, the first list of essential medicines was drawn up, and a year later the ambitious goal of `` health for all '' was declared. In 1986, WHO started its global programme on HIV / AIDS. Two years later preventing discrimination against sufferers was attended to and in 1996 UNAIDS was formed. In 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was established. In 1998, WHO 's Director - General highlighted gains in child survival, reduced infant mortality, increased life expectancy and reduced rates of `` scourges '' such as smallpox and polio on the fiftieth anniversary of WHO 's founding. He, did, however, accept that more had to be done to assist maternal health and that progress in this area had been slow. In 2000, the Stop TB Partnership was created along with the UN 's formulation of the Millennium Development Goals. In 2001 the measles initiative was formed, and credited with reducing global deaths from the disease by 68 % by 2007. In 2002, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was drawn up to improve the resources available. In 2006, the organization endorsed the world 's first official HIV / AIDS Toolkit for Zimbabwe, which formed the basis for a global prevention, treatment and support plan to fight the AIDS pandemic. Overall focus The WHO 's Constitution states that its objective `` is the attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health ''. WHO fulfills its objective through its functions as defined in its Constitution : ( a ) to act as the directing and coordinating 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. As of 2012 WHO has defined its role in public health as follows : providing leadership on matters critical to health and engaging in partnerships where joint action is needed ; shaping the research agenda and stimulating the generation, translation, and dissemination of valuable knowledge ; setting norms and standards and promoting and monitoring their implementation ; articulating ethical and evidence - based policy options ; providing technical support, catalyzing change, and building sustainable institutional capacity ; and monitoring the health situation and assessing health trends. CRVS ( Civil Registration and Vital Statistics ) to provide monitoring of vital events ( birth, death, wedding, divorce ). Communicable diseases The 2012 -- 2013 WHO budget identified 5 areas among which funding was distributed. Two of those five areas related to communicable diseases : the first, to reduce the `` health, social and economic burden '' of communicable diseases in general ; the second to combat HIV / AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in particular. As of 2015 WHO has worked within the UNAIDS network and strived to involve sections of society other than health to help deal with the economic and social effects of HIV / AIDS. In line with UNAIDS, WHO has set itself the interim task between 2009 and 2015 of reducing the number of those aged 15 -- 24 years who are infected by 50 % ; reducing new HIV infections in children by 90 % ; and reducing HIV - related deaths by 25 %. During the 1970s, WHO had dropped its commitment to a global malaria eradication campaign as too ambitious, it retained a strong commitment to malaria control. WHO 's Global Malaria Programme works to keep track of malaria cases, and future problems in malaria control schemes. As of 2012 WHO was to report, as to whether RTS, S / AS01, were a viable malaria vaccine. For the time being, insecticide - treated mosquito nets and insecticide sprays are used to prevent the spread of malaria, as are antimalarial drugs -- particularly to vulnerable people such as pregnant women and young children. Between 1990 and 2010, WHO 's help has contributed to a 40 % decline in the number of deaths from tuberculosis, and since 2005, over 46 million people have been treated and an estimated 7 million lives saved through practices advocated by WHO. These include engaging national governments and their financing, early diagnosis, standardizing treatment, monitoring of the spread and effect of tuberculosis and stabilising the drug supply. It has also recognized the vulnerability of victims of HIV / AIDS to tuberculosis. In 1988, WHO launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to eradicate polio. It has also been successful in helping to reduce cases by 99 % since which partnered WHO with Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) and the United Nations Children 's Fund ( UNICEF ), and smaller organizations. As of 2011 it has been working to immunize young children and prevent the re-emergence of cases in countries declared `` polio - free ''. Recently, a study is conducted ( 2017 ) where researchers explain why Polio Vaccines may not be enough to eradicate the Virus & conduct new technology. Polio is on the verge of extinction, thanks to a Global Vaccination Drive. World Health Organization ( WHO ) stated the eradication programme has saved millions from deadly disease. Non-communicable diseases Another of the thirteen WHO priority areas is aimed at the prevention and reduction of `` disease, disability and premature deaths from chronic noncommunicable diseases, mental disorders, violence and injuries, and visual impairment ''. The Division of Noncommunicable Diseases for Promoting Health through the Life - course Sexual and Reproductive Health has published the magazine, Entre Nous, across Europe since 1983. Environmental Health The WHO estimates that 12.6 million people died as a result of living or working in an unhealthy environment in 2012 -- this accounts for nearly 1 in 4 of total global deaths. Environmental risk factors, such as air, water and soil pollution, chemical exposures, climate change, and ultraviolet radiation, contribute to more than 100 diseases and injuries. This can result in a number of pollution - related diseases. Life course and life style WHO works to `` reduce morbidity and mortality and improve health during key stages of life, including pregnancy, childbirth, the neonatal period, childhood and adolescence, and improve sexual and reproductive health and promote active and healthy aging for all individuals ''. It also tries to prevent or reduce risk factors for `` health conditions associated with use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs and other psychoactive substances, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity and unsafe sex ''. WHO works to improve nutrition, food safety and food security and to ensure this has a positive effect on public health and sustainable development. Surgery and trauma care The WHO promotes road safety as a means to reduce traffic - related injuries. WHO has also worked on global initiatives in surgery, including emergency and essential surgical care, trauma care, and safe surgery. The WHO Surgical Safety Checklist is in current use worldwide in the effort to improve patient safety. Emergency work The World Health Organization 's primary objective in natural and man - made emergencies is to coordinate with member states and other stakeholders to `` reduce avoidable loss of life and the burden of disease and disability. '' On 5 May 2014, WHO announced that the spread of polio was a world health emergency -- outbreaks of the disease in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East were considered `` extraordinary ''. On 8 August 2014, WHO declared that the spread of Ebola was a public health emergency ; an outbreak which was believed to have started in Guinea had spread to other nearby countries such as Liberia and Sierra Leone. The situation in West Africa was considered very serious. Health policy WHO addresses government health policy with two aims : firstly, `` to address the underlying social and economic determinants of health through policies and programmes that enhance health equity and integrate pro-poor, gender - responsive, and human rights - based approaches '' and secondly `` to promote a healthier environment, intensify primary prevention and influence public policies in all sectors so as to address the root causes of environmental threats to health ''. The organization develops and promotes the use of evidence - based tools, norms and standards to support member states to inform health policy options. It oversees the implementation of the International Health Regulations, and publishes a series of medical classifications ; of these, three are over-reaching `` reference classifications '' : the International Statistical Classification of Diseases ( ICD ), the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health ( ICF ) and the International Classification of Health Interventions ( ICHI ). Other international policy frameworks produced by WHO include the International Code of Marketing of Breast - milk Substitutes ( adopted in 1981 ), Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ( adopted in 2003 ) and the Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel ( adopted in 2010 ). In terms of health services, WHO looks to improve `` governance, financing, staffing and management '' and the availability and quality of evidence and research to guide policy. It also strives to `` ensure improved access, quality and use of medical products and technologies ''. WHO -- working with donor agencies and national governments -- can improve their use of and their reporting about their use of research evidence. Governance and support The remaining two of WHO 's thirteen identified policy areas relate to the role of WHO itself : `` to provide leadership, strengthen governance and foster partnership and collaboration with countries, the United Nations system, and other stakeholders in order to fulfill the mandate of WHO in advancing the global health agenda '' ; and `` to develop and sustain WHO as a flexible, learning organization, enabling it to carry out its mandate more efficiently and effectively ''. Partnerships The WHO along with the World Bank constitute the core team responsible for administering the International Health Partnership ( IHP+ ). The IHP+ is a group of partner governments, development agencies, civil society and others committed to improving the health of citizens in developing countries. Partners work together to put international principles for aid effectiveness and development co-operation into practice in the health sector. The organization relies on contributions from renowned scientists and professionals to inform its work, such as the WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization, the WHO Expert Committee on Leprosy, and the WHO Study Group on Interprofessional Education & Collaborative Practice. WHO runs the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, targeted at improving health policy and systems. WHO also aims to improve access to health research and literature in developing countries such as through the HINARI network. Public Health Education and action Each year, the organization marks World Health Day and other observances focusing on a specific health promotion topic. World Health Day falls on 7 April each year, timed to match the anniversary of WHO 's founding. Recent themes have been vector - borne diseases ( 2014 ), healthy ageing ( 2012 ) and drug resistance ( 2011 ). The other official global public health campaigns marked by WHO are World Tuberculosis Day, World Immunization Week, World Malaria Day, World No Tobacco Day, World Blood Donor Day, World Hepatitis Day, and World AIDS Day. As part of the United Nations, the World Health Organization supports work towards the Millennium Development Goals. Of the eight Millennium Development Goals, three -- reducing child mortality by two - thirds, to reduce maternal deaths by three - quarters, and to halt and begin to reduce the spread of HIV / AIDS -- relate directly to WHO 's scope ; the other five inter-relate and affect world health. Data handling and publications The World Health Organization works to provide the needed health and well - being evidence through a variety of data collection platforms, including the World Health Survey covering almost 400,000 respondents from 70 countries, and the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health ( SAGE ) covering over 50,000 persons over 50 years old in 23 countries. The Country Health Intelligence Portal ( CHIP ), has also been developed to provide an access point to information about the health services that are available in different countries. The information gathered in this portal is used by the countries to set priorities for future strategies or plans, implement, monitor, and evaluate it. The WHO has published various tools for measuring and monitoring the capacity of national health systems and health workforces. The Global Health Observatory ( GHO ) has been the WHO 's main portal which provides access to data and analyses for key health themes by monitoring health situations around the globe. The WHO Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems ( WHO - AIMS ), the WHO Quality of Life Instrument ( WHOQOL ), and the Service Availability and Readiness Assessment ( SARA ) provide guidance for data collection. Collaborative efforts between WHO and other agencies, such as through the Health Metrics Network, also aim to provide sufficient high - quality information to assist governmental decision making. WHO promotes the development of capacities in member states to use and produce research that addresses their national needs, including through the Evidence - Informed Policy Network ( EVIPNet ). The Pan American Health Organization ( PAHO / AMRO ) became the first region to develop and pass a policy on research for health approved in September 2009. On 10 December 2013, a new WHO database, known as MiNDbank, went online. The database was launched on Human Rights Day, and is part of WHO 's QualityRights initiative, which aims to end human rights violations against people with mental health conditions. The new database presents a great deal of information about mental health, substance abuse, disability, human rights, and the different policies, strategies, laws, and service standards being implemented in different countries. It also contains important international documents and information. The database allows visitors to access the health information of WHO member states and other partners. Users can review policies, laws, and strategies and search for the best practices and success stories in the field of mental health. The WHO regularly publishes a World Health Report, its leading publication, including an expert assessment of a specific global health topic. Other publications of WHO include the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal ( overseen by EMRO ), the Human Resources for Health ( published in collaboration with BioMed Central ), and the Pan American Journal of Public Health ( overseen by PAHO / AMRO ). Structure The World Health Organization is a member of the United Nations Development Group. Membership Countries by World Health Organization membership status As of 2016, the WHO has 194 member states : all of them Member States of the United Nations except for the Cook Islands and Niue. ( A state becomes a full member of WHO by ratifying the treaty known as the Constitution of the World Health Organization. ) As of 2013, it also had two associate members, Puerto Rico and Tokelau. Several other countries have been granted observer status. Palestine is an observer as a `` national liberation movement '' recognized by the League of Arab States under United Nations Resolution 3118. The Holy See also attends as an observer, as does the Order of Malta. In 2010, Taiwan was invited under the name of `` Chinese Taipei ''. WHO Member States appoint delegations to the World Health Assembly, WHO 's supreme decision - making body. All UN Member States are eligible for WHO membership, and, according to the WHO website, `` other countries may be admitted as members when their application has been approved by a simple majority vote of the World Health Assembly ''. Liechtenstein is currently the only UN member not in the WHO membership. In addition, the UN observer organizations International Committee of the Red Cross and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have entered into `` official relations '' with WHO and are invited as observers. In the World Health Assembly they are seated alongside the other NGOs. Assembly and Executive Board WHO Headquarters in Geneva The World Health Assembly is the legislative and supreme body of WHO. Based in Geneva, it typically meets yearly in May. It appoints the Director - General every five years and votes on matters of policy and finance of WHO, including the proposed budget. It also reviews reports of the Executive Board and decides whether there are areas of work requiring further examination. The Assembly elects 34 members, technically qualified in the field of health, to the Executive Board for three - year terms. The main functions of the Board are to carry out the decisions and policies of the Assembly, to advise it and to facilitate its work. The current Director General of the WHO is Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, an Ethiopian national. The current chairman of the executive board is Dr. Assad Hafeez. Regional offices Regional offices and regions of the WHO : Africa ; HQ : Brazzaville, Congo Americas ; HQ : Washington, DC, USA Eastern Med. ; HQ : Cairo, Egypt Europe ; HQ : Copenhagen, Denmark South East Asia ; HQ : New Delhi, India Western Pacific ; HQ : Manila, Philippines The regional divisions of WHO were created between 1949 and 1952, and are based on article 44 of WHO 's constitution, which allowed the WHO to `` establish a ( single ) regional organization to meet the special needs of ( each defined ) area ''. Many decisions are made at regional level, including important discussions over WHO 's budget, and in deciding the members of the next assembly, which are designated by the regions. Each region has a Regional Committee, which generally meets once a year, normally in the autumn. Representatives attend from each member or associative member in each region, including those states that are not fully recognized. For example, Palestine attends meetings of the Eastern Mediterranean Regional office. Each region also has a regional office. Each Regional Office is headed by a Regional Director, who is elected by the Regional Committee. The Board must approve such appointments, although as of 2004, it had never over-ruled the preference of a regional committee. The exact role of the board in the process has been a subject of debate, but the practical effect has always been small. Since 1999, Regional Directors serve for a once - renewable five - year term. Each Regional Committee of the WHO consists of all the Health Department heads, in all the governments of the countries that constitute the Region. Aside from electing the Regional Director, the Regional Committee is also in charge of setting the guidelines for the implementation, within the region, of the health and other policies adopted by the World Health Assembly. The Regional Committee also serves as a progress review board for the actions of WHO within the Region. The Regional Director is effectively the head of WHO for his or her Region. The RD manages and / or supervises a staff of health and other experts at the regional offices and in specialized centres. The RD is also the direct supervising authority -- concomitantly with the WHO Director - General -- of all the heads of WHO country offices, known as WHO Representatives, within the Region. Regional Offices of WHO Region Headquarters Notes Website Africa Brazzaville, Republic of Congo AFRO includes most of Africa, with the exception of Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Tunisia, Libya, Somalia and Morocco ( all fall under EMRO ). The Regional Director is Matshidiso Moeti. AFRO Europe Copenhagen, Denmark. EURO includes Europe, Israel, and former USSR, except Liechtenstein. EURO South - East Asia New Delhi, India North Korea is served by SEARO. SEARO Eastern Mediterranean Cairo, Egypt Eastern Mediterranean Regional office includes the countries of Africa that are not included in AFRO, as well as the countries of the Middle East, except for Israel. Pakistan is served by EMRO. EMRO Western Pacific Manila, Philippines. WPRO covers all the Asian countries not served by SEARO and EMRO, and all the countries in Oceania. South Korea is served by WPRO. WPRO The Americas Washington D.C., USA. Also known as the Pan American Health Organization ( PAHO ), and covers the Americas. The Regional Director is Carissa F. Etienne. AMRO People Directors - General of the WHO Name Years of tenure Tedros Adhanom since 2017 Margaret Chan 2006 -- 2017 Anders Nordström * 2006 ( acting ) Lee Jong - wook 2003 -- 2006 Gro Harlem Brundtland 1998 -- 2003 Hiroshi Nakajima 1988 -- 1998 Halfdan T. Mahler 1973 -- 1988 Marcolino Gomes Candau 1953 -- 1973 Brock Chisholm 1948 -- 1953 * Acting Director - General following the death of Lee Jong - wook while in office The head of the organization is the Director - General, elected by the World Health Assembly. The current Director - General is Tedros Adhanom, who was appointed on 1 July 2017. WHO employs 8,500 people in 147 countries. In support of the principle of a tobacco - free work environment the WHO does not recruit cigarette smokers. The organization has previously instigated the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2003. The WHO operates `` Goodwill Ambassadors '', members of the arts, sport or other fields of public life aimed at drawing attention to WHO 's initiatives and projects. There are currently five Goodwill Ambassadors ( Jet Li, Nancy Brinker, Peng Liyuan, Yohei Sasakawa and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ) and a further ambassador associated with a partnership project ( Craig David ). Country and liaison offices The World Health Organization operates 147 country offices in all its regions. It also operates several liaison offices, including those with the European Union, United Nations and a single office covering the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. It also operates the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, and the WHO Centre for Health Development in Kobe, Japan. Additional offices include those in Pristina ; the West Bank and Gaza ; the US - Mexico Border Field Office in El Paso ; the Office of the Caribbean Program Coordination in Barbados ; and Northern Micronesia office. There will generally be one WHO country office in the capital, occasionally accompanied by satellite - offices in the provinces or sub-regions of the country in question. The country office is headed by a WHO Representative ( WR ). As of 2010, the only WHO Representative outside Europe to be a national of that country was for the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya ( `` Libya '' ) ; all other staff were international. Those in the Region for the Americas, they are referred to as PAHO / WHO Representatives. In Europe, WHO Representatives also serve as Head of Country Office, and are nationals with the exception of Serbia ; there are also Heads of Country Office in Albania, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. The WR is member of the UN system country team which is coordinated by the UN System Resident Coordinator. The country office consists of the WR, and several health and other experts, both foreign and local, as well as the necessary support staff. The main functions of WHO country offices include being the primary adviser of that country 's government in matters of health and pharmaceutical policies. Financing and partnerships The WHO is financed by contributions from member states and outside donors. As of 2012, the largest annual assessed contributions from member states came from the United States ( $110 million ), Japan ( $58 million ), Germany ( $37 million ), United Kingdom ( $31 million ) and France ( $31 million ). The combined 2012 -- 2013 budget has proposed a total expenditure of $3,959 million, of which $944 million ( 24 % ) will come from assessed contributions. This represented a significant fall in outlay compared to the previous 2009 -- 2010 budget, adjusting to take account of previous underspends. Assessed contributions were kept the same. Voluntary contributions will account for $3,015 million ( 76 % ), of which $800 million is regarded as highly or moderately flexible funding, with the remainder tied to particular programmes or objectives. In recent years, the WHO 's work has involved increasing collaboration with external bodies. As of 2002, a total of 473 non-governmental organizations ( NGO ) had some form of partnership with WHO. There were 189 partnerships with international NGOs in formal `` official relations '' -- the rest being considered informal in character. Partners include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. Controversies IAEA -- Agreement WHA 12 -- 40 Alexey Yablokov ( left ) and Vassili Nesterenko ( farthest right ) protesting in front of the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland in 2008. Demonstration on Chernobyl disaster day near WHO in Geneva In 1959, the WHO signed Agreement WHA 12 -- 40 with the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ). A reading of this document can result in the understanding that the IAEA is able to prevent the WHO from conducting research or work on some areas, as seen hereafter. The agreement states that the WHO recognizes the IAEA as having responsibility for peaceful nuclear energy without prejudice to the roles of the WHO of promoting health. However, the following paragraph adds that `` whenever either organization proposes to initiate a programme or activity on a subject in which the other organization has or may have a substantial interest, the first party shall consult the other with a view to adjusting the matter by mutual agreement ''. The nature of this statement has led some pressure groups and activists ( including Women in Europe for a Common Future ) to claim that the WHO is restricted in its ability to investigate the effects on human health of radiation caused by the use of nuclear power and the continuing effects of nuclear disasters in Chernobyl and Fukushima. They believe WHO must regain what they see as `` independence ''. Roman Catholic Church and AIDS Main article : Roman Catholic Church and AIDS In 2003, the WHO denounced the Roman Curia 's health department 's opposition to the use of condoms, saying : `` These incorrect statements about condoms and HIV are dangerous when we are facing a global pandemic which has already killed more than 20 million people, and currently affects at least 42 million. '' As of 2009, the Catholic Church remains opposed to increasing the use of contraception to combat HIV / AIDS. At the time, the World Health Assembly President, Guyana 's Health Minister Leslie Ramsammy, condemned Pope Benedict 's opposition to contraception, saying he was trying to `` create confusion '' and `` impede '' proven strategies in the battle against the disease. Intermittent preventive therapy The aggressive support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for intermittent preventive therapy of malaria triggered a memo from the former WHO malaria chief Akira Kochi. Diet and sugar intake Some of the research undertaken or supported by WHO to determine how people 's lifestyles and environments are influencing whether they live in better or worse health can be controversial, as illustrated by a 2003 joint WHO / FAO report on nutrition and the prevention of chronic non-communicable disease, which recommended that sugar should form no more than 10 % of a healthy diet. The report led to lobbying by the sugar industry against the recommendation, to which the WHO / FAO responded by including in the report this statement : `` The Consultation recognized that a population goal for free sugars of less than 10 % of total energy is controversial ''. It also stood by its recommendation based upon its own analysis of scientific studies. In 2014, WHO reduced recommended sugar levels by half and said that sugar should make up no more than 5 % of a healthy diet. 2009 swine flu pandemic Main article : 2009 flu pandemic In 2007, the WHO organized work on pandemic influenza vaccine development through clinical trials in collaboration with many experts and health officials. A pandemic involving the H1N1 influenza virus was declared by the then Director - General Margaret Chan in April 2009. Margret Chan declared in 2010 that the H1N1 has moved into the post-pandemic period. By the post-pandemic period critics claimed the WHO had exaggerated the danger, spreading `` fear and confusion '' rather than `` immediate information ''. Industry experts countered that the 2009 pandemic had led to `` unprecedented collaboration between global health authorities, scientists and manufacturers, resulting in the most comprehensive pandemic response ever undertaken, with a number of vaccines approved for use three months after the pandemic declaration. This response was only possible because of the extensive preparations undertaken during the last decade ''. 2013 -- 2016 Ebola outbreak and Reform efforts Following the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the organization was heavily criticized for its bureaucracy, insufficient financing, regional structure, and staffing profile. An internal WHO report on the Ebola response pointed to underfunding and the lack of `` core capacity '' in health systems in developing countries as the primary weaknesses of the existing system. At the annual World Health Assembly in 2015, Director - General Margaret Chan announced a $100 million Contingency Fund for rapid response to future emergencies, of which it had received $26.9 million by April 2016 ( for 2017 disbursement ). WHO has budgeted an additional $494 million for its Health Emergencies Programme in 2016 -- 17, for which it had received $140 million by April 2016. The program was aimed at rebuilding WHO capacity for direct action, which critics said had been lost due to budget cuts in the previous decade that had left the organization in an advisory role dependent on member states for on - the - ground activities. In comparison, billions of dollars have been spent by developed countries on the 2013 -- 2016 Ebola epidemic and 2015 -- 16 Zika epidemic. FCTC implementation database The WHO has a Framework Convention on Tobacco implementation database which is one of the only mechanisms to help enforce compliance with the FCTC. However, there have been reports of numerous discrepancies between it and national implementation reports on which it was built. As researchers Hoffman and Rizvi report `` As of July 4, 2012, 361 ( 32 7 % ) of 1104 countries ' responses were misreported : 33 ( 3 0 % ) were clear errors ( eg, database indicated `` yes '' when report indicated `` no '' ), 270 ( 24 5 % ) were missing despite countries having submitted responses, and 58 ( 5 3 % ) were, in our opinion, misinterpreted by WHO staff ``. IARC controversies Further information : International Agency for Research on Cancer The World Health Organization sub-department, the International Agency for Research on Cancer ( IARC ), has been criticized for the way it analyses the tendency of certain substances and activities to cause cancer and for having a politically motivated bias when it selects studies for its analysis. Ed Yong, a British science journalist, has criticized the agency and its `` confusing '' category system for misleading the public. Marcel Kuntz, a French director of research at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, criticized the agency for its classification of potentially carcinogenic substances. He claimed that this classification did not take into account the extent of exposure : for example, red meat is qualified as probably carcinogenic, but the quantity of consumed red meat at which it could become dangerous is not specified. Controversies have erupted multiple times when the IARC has classified many things as Class 2a ( probable carcinogens ), including cell phone signals, glyphosate, drinking hot beverages, and working as a barber. Block of Taiwanese Participation Political pressure from China has led to Taiwan being barred from membership of the WHO and other UN-affiliated organizations, and in both 2017 and 2018 the WHO refused to allow Taiwanese delegates to attend the WHO annual assembly. On multiple occasions Taiwanese journalists have been denied access to report on the assembly. In May 2018, 172 members of the United States House of Representatives wrote to the Director General of the World Health Organization to argue for Taiwan 's inclusion as an observer at the WHA. Travel expenses According to The Associated Press, WHO routinely spends about $200 million a year on travel expenses, more than it spends to tackle mental health problems, HIV / AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria combined. In 2016, Margaret Chan, Director - General of WHO from November 2006 to June 2017, stayed in a $1000 per night hotel room while visiting West Africa. Robert Mugabe 's role as a Goodwill ambassador On 21 October 2017 the Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appointed Zimbabwe 's president Robert Mugabe as a WHO Goodwill Ambassador to help promote the fight against non-communicable diseases. The appointment address praised Mugabe for his commitment to public health in Zimbabwe. The appointment attracted widespread condemnation and criticism in WHO member states and international organizations due to Robert Mugabe 's poor record on human rights and presiding over a decline in Zimbabwe 's public health. Due to the outcry, the following day the appointment was revoked. World headquarters The seat of the organization is in Geneva, Switzerland. It was designed by Swiss architect Jean Tschumi and inaugurated in 1966. In 2017, the organization launched an international competition to redesign and extend its headquarters. Early views On a 1966 stamp of the German Democratic Republic Stairwell, 1969 Internal courtyard, 1969 Reflecting pool, 1969 Exterior, 1969 Views 2013 WHO Headquarters from Southwest WHO Headquarters from South WHO Headquarters from East WHO Headquarters from North WHO Headquarters from West WHO Headquarters main entrance WHO Headquarters entrance hall WHO Headquarters main conference room See also Global health Global Mental Health Healthy city / Alliance for Healthy Cities, an international alliance Health For All Health promotion Health Sciences Online, virtual learning resources High 5s Project, a patient safety collaboration International Health Partnership International Labour Organization List of most polluted cities in the world by particulate matter concentration Open Learning for Development, virtual learning resources Public health Sustainable Development The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Timeline of global health Tropical disease United Nations Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of NCDs WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control WHO Guidelines for drinking - water quality WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme Notes and references Jump up ^ `` Dr Tedros takes office as WHO Director - General ''. World Health Organization. 1 July 2017. Jump up ^ Howard - Jones, Norman ( 1974 ). The scientific background of the International Sanitary Conferences, 1851 -- 1938 ( PDF ). World Health Organization. Jump up ^ McCarthy, Michael ( October 2002 ). `` A brief history of the World Health Organization '' ( PDF ). The Lancet. 360 : 1111 -- 12. doi : 10.1016 / s0140 - 6736 ( 02 ) 11244 - x. Jump up ^ Sze Szeming Papers, 1945 -- 2014, UA. 90. F14. 1, University Archives, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh. ^ Jump up to : `` World Health Organization ''. The British Medical Journal. BMJ Publishing Group. 2 ( 4570 ) : 302 -- 303. 7 August 1948. doi : 10.1136 / bmj. 2.4570. 302. JSTOR 25364565. PMC 1614381. ^ Jump up to : `` The Move towards a New Health Organization : International Health Conference '' ( PDF ). Chronicle of the World Health Organization. 1 ( 1 -- 2 ) : 6 -- 11. 1947. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 9 August 2007. Retrieved 18 July 2007. Jump up ^ Shimkin, Michael B. ( 27 September 1946 ). `` The World Health Organization ''. Science. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 104 ( 2700 ) : 281 -- 283. doi : 10.1126 / science. 104.2700. 281. JSTOR 1674843. PMC 1614381. Jump up ^ Charles J ( 1968 ). `` Origins, history, and achievements of the World Health Organization ''. BMJ. 2 : 293 -- 6. doi : 10.1136 / bmj. 2.5600. 293. PMC 1985854. PMID 4869199. Jump up ^ `` World Health Organization Philippines ''. WHO. Retrieved 27 March 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` WHO at 60 '' ( PDF ). WHO. Retrieved 31 March 2012. Jump up ^ Fenner, Frank ( 1988 ). `` Development of the Global Smallpox Eradication Programme '' ( PDF ). Smallpox and Its Eradication. History of International Public Health. 6. Geneva : World Health Organization. pp. 366 -- 418. ISBN 92 - 4 - 156110 - 6. Jump up ^ Zikmund, Vladimír ( March 2010 ). `` Karel Raška and Smallpox '' ( PDF ). Central European Journal of Public Health. 18 ( 1 ) : 55 -- 56. PMID 20586232. Jump up ^ Holland, Walter W. ( March 2010 ). `` Karel Raška -- The Development of Modern Epidemiology. The role of the IEA '' ( PDF ). Central European Journal of Public Health. 18 ( 1 ) : 57 -- 60. PMID 20586233. Jump up ^ Orenstein, Walter A. ; Plotkin, Stanley A. ( 1999 ). Vaccines. Philadelphia : W.B. Saunders Co. ISBN 0 - 7216 - 7443 - 7. Jump up ^ Flight, Colette ( 17 February 2011 ). `` Smallpox : Eradicating the Scourge ''. BBC History. Retrieved 24 November 2008. Jump up ^ `` Anniversary of smallpox eradication ''. WHO Media Centre. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` World Health Day : Safe Motherhood '' ( PDF ). WHO. 7 April 1998. p. 1. Retrieved 31 March 2012. Jump up ^ Mu Xuequan, ed. ( 4 October 2006 ). `` Zimbabwe launches world 's 1st AIDS training package ''. chinaview.cn. Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved 16 January 2012. Jump up ^ `` Constitution of the World Health Organization '' ( PDF ). World Health Organization. Retrieved 11 February 2008. Jump up ^ `` The role of WHO in public health ''. WHO. Retrieved 26 March 2012. Jump up ^ Hoffman S.J. ; Røttingen J-A. ( 2012 ). `` Assessing Implementation Mechanisms for an International Agreement on Research and Development for Health Products ''. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 90 ( 12 ) : 854 -- 863. doi : 10.2471 / BLT. 12.109827. PMC 3506410. PMID 23226898. Jump up ^ `` Civil registration and vital statistics ( CRVS ) ''. who.int. ^ Jump up to : `` Programme Budget, 2012 -- 2013 '' ( PDF ). WHO. Retrieved 26 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Global health sector strategy on HIV / AIDS 2011 -- 2015 '' ( pdf ). WHO. 2011 : 5. Jump up ^ `` Global health sector strategy on HIV / AIDS 2011 -- 2015 '' ( pdf ). WHO. 2011 : 7. Jump up ^ `` Malaria Fact Sheet ''. WHO Media Centre. WHO. April 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012. Jump up ^ `` Tuberculosis Fact Sheet ''. WHO work mediacenter. WHO. April 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012. Jump up ^ `` Poliomyelitis Fact Sheet ''. WHO Media Centre. WHO. October 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` WHO Violence and Injury Prevention ''. Who.int. Retrieved 9 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Entre Nous ''. euro.who.int. WHO / Europe. OCLC 782375711. Archived from the original on 15 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` An estimated 12.6 million deaths each year are attributable to unhealthy environments ''. Jump up ^ `` Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction ''. WHO. Retrieved 9 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Tobacco ''. WHO. Retrieved 26 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health ''. WHO. Jump up ^ WHO. Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 -- 2020 Jump up ^ `` Global Initiative for Emergency and Essential Surgical Care ''. WHO. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Essential trauma care project ''. WHO. Retrieved 9 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Safe Surgery Saves Lives ''. WHO. 17 June 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Safe Surgery Saves Lives ''. WHO. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` UN : Spread of polio now an world health emergency '' ( Press release ). London : Mindspark Interactkookve Network, Inc. AP News. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014. Jump up ^ Gladstone, Rick ( 5 May 2014 ). `` Polio Spreading at Alarming Rates, World Health Organization Declares ''. New York Times. Retrieved 5 May 2014. Jump up ^ Kelland, Kate ; Onuah, Felix ( 8 August 2014 ). `` WHO declares Ebola an international health emergency '' ( Press release ). London / Lagos : Thomson Reuters. Reuters. Jump up ^ `` Family of International Classifications : definition, scope and purpose '' ( PDF ). WHO. 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` International Code of Marketing of Breast - Milk Substitutes ''. WHO. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` About the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ''. WHO. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel '' ( PDF ). WHO. 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ Hoffman, S.J., Lavis, J.N. & Bennett, S., 2009. The Use of Research Evidence in Two International Organizations ' Recommendations about Health Systems. Healthcare Policy, 5 ( 1 ), pp. 66 -- 86. Jump up ^ `` International Health Partnership ''. IHP+. Retrieved 19 September 2012. Jump up ^ `` WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization ''. WHO. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` WHO Expert Committee on Leprosy : Seventh Report ''. WHO Press Office. WHO. Archived from the original on 31 December 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` WHO Study Group on Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice ''. 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research ''. WHO. Retrieved 26 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` HINARI Access to Research in Health Programme ''. Who.int. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` World Health Day -- 7 April ''. WHO. Retrieved 31 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Millennium Development Goals ''. WHO. Retrieved 31 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Accelerating progress towards the health - related Millennium Development Goals '' ( PDF ). WHO. 2010. p. 2. Retrieved 31 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` WHO World Health Survey ''. WHO. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` WHO Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health ( SAGE ) ''. WHO. 10 March 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Country Health Policy Process ''. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012. Jump up ^ `` Monitoring the building blocks of health systems : a handbook of indicators and their measurement strategies ''. WHO. 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Handbook on monitoring and evaluation of human resources for health ''. WHO. 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Global Health Observatory ''. Retrieved 4 June 2012. Jump up ^ See respectively :* `` Mental Health : WHO - AIMS ''. WHO. Retrieved 27 March 2012. * `` WHOQOL - BREF : Introduction, Administration, Scoring and Generic Version of the Assessment '' ( PDF ). 1996. Retrieved 27 March 2012. * `` Service Availability and Readiness Assessment ( SARA ) ''. WHO. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` What is HMN ? ''. Health Metrics Network. WHO. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Evidence - Informed Policy Network ''. WHO. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Policy on Research for Health ''. Pan American Health Organization. Retrieved 27 March 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Mental health information at your fingertips -- WHO launches the MiNDbank ''. Who.int. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2014. Jump up ^ `` The World Health Report ''. WHO. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Bulletin of the World Health Organization ''. WHO. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal ''. WHO. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Human Resources for Health ''. BioMed Central. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública / Pan American Journal of Public Health ''. Pan American Health Organization. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` UNDG Members ''. Undg.org. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Countries ''. WHO. Retrieved 8 September 2015. Jump up ^ `` Appendix 1, Members of the World Health Organization ( at 31 May 2009 ) '' ( PDF ). World Health Organization. Retrieved 18 November 2010. ^ Jump up to : Burci, Gian Luca ; Vignes, Claude - Henri ( 2004 ). World Health Organization. Kluwer Law International. ISBN 978 - 90 - 411 - 2273 - 5. Jump up ^ `` Taiwan Today, Taiwan delegation to participate in WHA ''. Retrieved 9 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Governance ''. WHO. Retrieved 5 February 2012. ^ Jump up to : Burci & Vignes 2004, pp. 53 -- 57. Jump up ^ `` A year of change : Reports of the Executive Board on its 102nd and 103rd sessions '' ( PDF ). WHO. Retrieved 11 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Regional Office for Africa ''. WHO. Retrieved 11 February 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Regional Office for Europe ''. WHO. Retrieved 11 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Regional Office for South - East Asia ''. WHO. Retrieved 11 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Regional Office for Eastern Mediterranean ''. WHO. Retrieved 11 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Regional Office for the Western Pacific ''. WHO. Retrieved 11 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Regional Office for the Americas ''. WHO. Retrieved 11 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Former Directors - General ''. WHO. Retrieved 5 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` WHO Governance ''. WHO. Jump up ^ `` World Health Assembly elects Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as new WHO Director - General ''. WHO. Jump up ^ `` Employment : who we are ''. WHO. Retrieved 5 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Employment : who we need ''. WHO. Retrieved 5 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ''. WHO. Retrieved 5 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Goodwill Ambassador ''. WHO. Retrieved 5 February 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` WHO -- its people and offices ''. WHO. 29 March 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` WHO liaison and other offices ''. WHO. Retrieved 29 March 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Detailed information of WHO offices in countries, territories and areas ''. WHO. Retrieved 29 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` WHO Country Office ( Hungary ) ''. WHO EURO. Retrieved 31 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Assessed Contributions payable by Member States and Associate Members -- 2012 -- 2013 '' ( PDF ). WHO. Retrieved 26 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Programme Budget, 2012 -- 2013 '' ( PDF ). WHO. pp. 10, 15 -- 16. Retrieved 26 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` WHO 's interactions with Civil Society and Nongovernmental Organizations '' ( PDF ). WHO / CSI / 2002 / WP6. WHO. 2002. p. 2. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 31 December 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` WHO 's interactions with Civil Society and Nongovernmental Organizations '' ( PDF ). WHO / CSI / 2002 / WP6. WHO. 2002. p. 10. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 31 December 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Living Proof Project : Partner Profile ''. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations. Retrieved 31 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` World Health Organization 's Alliance for Health Systems and Policy Research ''. Rockefeller Foundation. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012. Jump up ^ World Health Organization. `` Agreements with Other Intergovernmental Organizations '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 7 May 2012. Jump up ^ Independence for WHO. `` Appeal by Health Professionals for Independence of the World Health Organization '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 19 April 2011. Jump up ^ Women in Europe for a Common Future. `` Open letter on the WHO / IAEA Agreement of 1959 '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 19 April 2011. Jump up ^ `` World Health Organization Accomodates ( sic ) Atomic Agency ''. Activist Magazine. 3 June 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Vatican : condoms do n't stop Aids ''. The Guardian. 9 October 2003. Jump up ^ `` Pope claims condoms could make African Aids crisis worse ''. The Guardian. 17 March 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` World Health Assembly : Pope Benedict `` wrong '' ``. Google News. Agence France - Presse. 21 March 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2012. Jump up ^ McNeil, Donald G. ( 16 February 2008 ). `` Gates Foundation 's Influence Criticized ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 9 February 2012. Jump up ^ Report of a Joint FAO / WHO Consultation. Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases. Geneva : World Health Organization ; 2003 ( WHO Technical Report Series 916 ). Jump up ^ Mann, Jim ( 2003 ). `` Sugar revisited -- again '' ( pdf ). Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 81 ( 8 ). Jump up ^ `` BBC News : WHO : Daily sugar intake ' should be halved ' ''. Jump up ^ `` Tables on clinical evaluation of influenza vaccines ''. World Health Organization. Retrieved 13 December 2017. Jump up ^ `` WHO declares pandemic of novel H1N1 virus ''. CIDRAP. Retrieved 13 December 2017. Jump up ^ `` Pandemic ( H1N1 ) 2009 ''. World Health Organization. Retrieved 13 December 2017. Jump up ^ WHO admits errors in handling flu pandemic : Agency accused of overplaying danger of the virus as it swept the globe. Posted by msnbc.com Jump up ^ Abelina A ; et al. ( 2011 ). `` Lessons from pandemic influenza A ( H1N1 ) The research - based vaccine industry 's perspective '' ( PDF ). Vaccine. 29 : 1135 -- 1138. doi : 10.1016 / j. vaccine. 2010.11. 042. PMID 21115061. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 9 October 2011. Jump up ^ Hoffman, SJ ; Røttingen, JA ( February 2014 ). `` Split WHO in two : strengthening political decision - making and securing independent scientific advice ''. Public Health Journal. 128 ( 2 ) : 188 -- 194. doi : 10.1016 / j. puhe. 2013.08. 021. PMID 24434035. Retrieved 8 July 2015. Jump up ^ `` Report of the Review Committee on the Role of the International Health Regulations ( 2005 ) in the Ebola Outbreak and Response '' ( PDF ). 13 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016. Jump up ^ `` WHO Calls For $100 Million Emergency Fund, Doctor ' SWAT Team ' ''. Jump up ^ `` Reform of WHO 's work in health emergency management / WHO Health Emergencies Programme '' ( PDF ). 5 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016. Jump up ^ `` WHO Aims To Reform Itself But Health Experts Are n't Yet Impressed ''. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015. Jump up ^ Hoffman S.J. ; Rizvi Z. ( 2012 ). `` WHO 's Undermining Tobacco Control ''. The Lancet. 380 ( 9843 ) : 727 -- 728. doi : 10.1016 / S0140 - 6736 ( 12 ) 61402 - 0. PMID 22920746. Jump up ^ Yong, Ed. `` Beefing With the World Health Organization 's Cancer Warnings ''. The Atlantic. Retrieved 29 April 2017. Jump up ^ `` Pourquoi les fausses sciences gouvernent le monde ( et pourquoi il faut mettre un terme à ce règne ) ''. Slate.fr ( in French ). Retrieved 29 April 2017. Jump up ^ Kelland, Kate ( 6 October 2016 ). `` Exclusive : U.S. lawmakers to investigate funding of WHO cancer agency ''. Reuters. London, U.K. Retrieved 28 November 2016. Jump up ^ `` China warns Taiwan of continued lockout from WHO assembly ''. washingtonpost.com. 21 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` WHO Bows to China Pressure, Contravenes Human Rights in Refusing Taiwan Media ''. international.thenewslens.com. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018. Jump up ^ `` 172 Members Push for Taiwan 's Participation at World Health Assembly ''. foreignaffairs.house.gov. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018. Jump up ^ `` World Health Assembly elects Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as new WHO Director - General ''. Geneva : World Health Organization. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017. Jump up ^ Cheng, Maria ( 22 May 2017 ). `` Health agency spends more on travel than AIDS ''. Associated Press. Retrieved 27 June 2017. Jump up ^ `` Robert Mugabe 's WHO appointment condemned as ' an insult ' ''. BBC News. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` WHO chief ' rethinking ' appointment of Zimbabwe 's Mugabe as ' goodwill ambassador ' after widespread condemnation ''. The Globe and Mail. The Associated Press. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` WHO cancels Robert Mugabe goodwill ambassador role ''. BBC News. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` MODERNIZING THE WHO HEADQUARTERS IN GENEVA '' ( PDF ). who.int. Jump up ^ `` Design contest opens for World Health Organisation headquarters ''. Architects Journal. Retrieved 13 December 2017. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to World Health Organization. Wikiquote has quotations related to : World Health Organization Official website `` Staff regulations and staff rules '' ( pdf ). WHO. February 2016. United Nations Economic and Social Council ( ECOSOC ) Membership List of members of the United Nations Economic and Social Council Functional commissions UN Commission for Social Development ( CsocD ) Commission on Narcotic Drugs Commission on Science and Technology for Development ( CSTD ) UN Commission on the Status of Women ( UN CSW ) Commission on Population and Development UN Statistical Commission United Nations Forum on Forests Regional commissions Europe ( ECE ) Africa ( ECA ) Latin America and the Caribbean ( ECLAC ) Asia and the Pacific ( ESCAP ) Western Asia ( ESCWA ) Specialized agencies International Labour Organization ( ILO ) Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO ) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) World Health Organization ( WHO ) International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO ) International Maritime Organization ( IMO ) International Telecommunication Union ( ITU ) Universal Postal Union ( UPU ) World Meteorological Organization ( WMO ) World Intellectual Property Organization ( WIPO ) International Fund for Agricultural Development ( IFAD ) United Nations Children 's Fund ( UNICEF ) United Nations Industrial Development Organization ( UNIDO ) United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP ) United Nations Office of Project Services ( UNOPS ) International Refugee Organisation ( IRO -- ceased to exist in 1952 ) International Narcotics Control Board ( INCB ) World Bank Group International Bank for Reconstruction and Development ( IBRD ) International Development Association ( IDA ) International Finance Corporation ( IFC ) Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency ( MIGA ) International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes ( ICSID ) Other entities United Nations Development Group ( UNDG ) United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues ( UNPFII ) United Nations International Children 's Emergency Fund ( UNICEF ) High - level Political Forum on Sustainable Development ( HLPF ) Disbanded entities Commission on Sustainable Development ( CSD - Disbanded 2013 into UNHLPF ) UN Commission on Human Rights ( UNCHR - Disbanded 2006 in to UNHRC ) Category United Nations Portal Occupational safety and health Occupational diseases and injuries Acrodynia Asbestosis Asthma Berylliosis Brucellosis Byssinosis ( `` brown lung '' ) Chalicosis Chimney sweeps ' carcinoma Chronic solvent - induced encephalopathy ( CSE ) Coalworker 's pneumoconiosis ( `` black lung '' ) Concussions in sport Decompression sickness De Quervain syndrome Exposure to human nail dust Farmer 's lung Fiddler 's neck Flock worker 's lung Glassblower 's cataract Golfer 's elbow Hearing Loss Hospital - acquired infection Indium lung Laboratory animal allergy Lead poisoning Mad hatter disease Mesothelioma Metal fume fever Mule spinners ' cancer Noise - induced hearing loss Phossy jaw Pneumoconiosis Radium jaw Repetitive strain injury Silicosis Silo - filler 's disease Sports injury Surfer 's ear Tennis elbow Tinnitus Writer 's cramp Occupational hygiene Occupational hazard Hierarchy of hazard controls Prevention through design Exposure assessment Occupational exposure limit Occupational epidemiology Professions Environmental health Industrial engineering Occupational health nursing Occupational health psychology Occupational medicine Occupational therapist Safety engineering Agencies and organizations European Agency for Safety and Health at Work UK Health and Safety Executive International Labour Organization U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration World Health Organization Standards Bangladesh Accord ISO 45001 Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 Worker Protection Standard ( US ) Working Environment Convention, 1977 See also Environment, health and safety Environmental toxicology Ergonomics Health physics Indoor air quality International Chemical Safety Card National Day of Mourning ( Canadian observance ) Process safety management Public health Risk management Safety data sheet ( SDS ) Toxic tort Workers ' compensation Category Occupational diseases Commons Journals Organizations United Nations António Guterres, Secretary - General Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary - General Miroslav Lajčák, General Assembly President United Nations System United Nations Charter Preamble Principal organs General Assembly President Security Council Members Economic and Social Council Secretariat Secretary - General Deputy Secretary - General Under - Secretary - General International Court of Justice statute Trusteeship Council Secretariat Offices and Departments Headquarters Envoy on Youth Spokesperson for the Secretary - General Geneva Palace of Nations Nairobi Vienna Economic and Social Affairs Political Affairs Public Information Dag Hammarskjöld Library Safety and Security Palestinian Rights Peacekeeping Operations Internal Oversight Legal Affairs Developing Countries Sport for Development and Peace Disarmament Affairs Outer Space Affairs Partnerships Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs UN organizations by location United Nations Office for Developing Countries Sexual Violence in Conflict Programmes and specialized agencies FAO ICAO IFAD ILO IMO ITC IPCC IAEA MINURSO UNIDO ITU UNAIDS SCSL UNCTAD UNCITRAL UNCDF UNDG UNDP UNDPI UNDPKO peacekeeping UNEP OzonAction UNEP / GRID - Arendal UNEP - WCMC UNESCO UNFIP UNFPA UN-HABITAT OHCHR UNHCR UNHRC UNICEF UNICRI UNIDIR UNITAR UN-Oceans UNODC UNOPS UNOSAT UNRISD UNRWA UNSSC UNU UNU - OP UNU - CRIS UNV UN Women UNWTO UPU WFP WHO WIPO WMO Members / observers Full members Founding members UNSC Permanent members Observers European Union History League of Nations Four Policemen Declaration by United Nations Peacekeeping missions history timeline Enlargement Resolutions Security Council vetoes General Assembly 66th 67th Security Council Cyprus Iran Iraq Israel Lebanon Nagorno - Karabakh North Korea Palestine Syria Western Sahara Elections Secretary - General ( 2006 2016 ) International Court of Justice 2011 General Assembly President ( 2012 2016 ) Security Council ( 2015 2016 ) Related Bretton Woods system Comprehensive Nuclear - Test - Ban Treaty Criticism Delivering as One Flag Honour Flag Four Nations Initiative Genocide Convention UN Global Compact ICC International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World International Years UN laissez - passer Military Staff Committee Official languages Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Peacekeeping Treaty Series UN Day Universal Declaration of Human Rights Millennium Declaration Summit Development Goals Security Council veto power UN reform Security Council reform UN Art Collection UN Memorial Cemetery Korea Other Outline UN television film series ( 1964 -- 1966 ) In popular culture Public health General Auxology Biological hazard Chief Medical Officer Cultural competence Deviance Environmental health Euthenics Genomics Globalization and disease Health economics Health literacy Health policy Health system Health care reform Public health law Maternal health Medical anthropology Medical sociology Mental health Pharmaceutical policy Public health laboratory Reproductive health Social psychology Sociology of health and illness Preventive healthcare Behavior change Theories Family planning Health promotion Human nutrition Preventive nutrition Hygiene Food safety Hand washing Infection control Oral hygiene Occupational safety and health Human factors and ergonomics Hygiene Injury prevention Medicine Nursing Patient safety Organization Pharmacovigilance Safe sex Sanitation Emergency Fecal -- oral transmission Open defecation Sanitary sewer Waterborne diseases Smoking cessation Vaccination Vector control Population health Biostatistics Child mortality Community health Epidemiology Global health Health impact assessment Health system Infant mortality Open - source healthcare software Public health informatics Social determinants of health Health equity Race and health Social medicine Biological and epidemiological statistics Case - control study Randomized controlled trial Relative risk Statistical hypothesis testing Analysis of variance ( ANOVA ) Regression analysis ROC curve Student 's t - test Z - test Statistical software Infectious and epidemic disease prevention Asymptomatic carrier Epidemics List Notifiable diseases List Public health surveillance Disease surveillance Quarantine Sexually transmitted infection Tropical disease Vaccine trial Food hygiene and safety management Food Additive Chemistry Engineering Microbiology Processing Safety Safety scandals Genetically modified food Good agricultural practice Good manufacturing practice HACCP ISO 22000 Health behavioral sciences Diffusion of innovations Health belief model Health communication Health psychology Positive deviance PRECEDE - PROCEED model Social cognitive theory Social norms approach Theory of planned behavior Transtheoretical model Organizations, education and history Organizations Europe Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety India Ministry of Health and Family Welfare U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention City and county health departments Council on Education for Public Health Public Health Service World Health Organization World Toilet Organization Education Health education Higher education Bachelor of Science in Public Health Doctor of Public Health Professional degrees of public health Schools of public health History Sara Josephine Baker Samuel Jay Crumbine Carl Rogers Darnall Joseph Lister Margaret Sanger John Snow Typhoid Mary Germ theory of disease Social hygiene movement Category Commons WikiProject BNE : XX103248 BNF : cb118685994 ( data ) GND : 1007857 - 5 ISNI : 0000 0001 2163 3745 LCCN : n79059041 NDL : 00267299 NKC : kn20010711442 NLA : 35620224 SELIBR : 135819 SUDOC : 026438496 ULAN : 500215314 VIAF : 135618969 United Nations portal Geneva portal Medicine portal Health and fitness portal Coordinates : 46 ° 13 ′ 56 '' N 06 ° 08 ′ 03 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 46.23222 ° N 6.13417 ° E ﻿ / 46.23222 ; 6.13417 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=World_Health_Organization&oldid=843611882 '' Categories : World Health Organization Global health International medical and health organizations Organisations based in Geneva Organizations established in 1948 United Nations Development Group United Nations Economic and Social Council United Nations specialized agencies Hidden categories : CS1 French - language sources ( fr ) Use British English Oxford spelling from November 2017 Use dmy dates from April 2018 Articles containing French - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2017 Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2012 All articles containing potentially dated statements Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2011 Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2016 Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2013 Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2010 Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2002 Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2009 Commons category with local link different than on Wikidata Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with NLA identifiers Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers Wikipedia articles with ULAN identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Coordinates not on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikinews Wikiquote Afrikaans Alemannisch አማርኛ Aragonés Arpetan Asturianu Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه বাংলা Bân - lâm - gú Башҡортса Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Bikol Central Bislama Български Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Čeština ChiShona Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Emiliàn e rumagnòl Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Fiji Hindi Føroyskt Français Frysk Gaeilge Galego Gĩkũyũ 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Ido Ilokano Bahasa Indonesia Interlingua Íslenska Italiano עברית Basa Jawa Kalaallisut ಕನ್ನಡ Къарачай - малкъар ქართული Қазақша Kiswahili Kurdî Кыргызча Latina Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Limburgs Lumbaart Magyar Македонски Malagasy മലയാളം Malti मराठी مصرى Bahasa Melayu Монгол မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands नेपाली नेपाल भाषा 日本 語 Нохчийн Nordfriisk Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan ଓଡ଼ିଆ Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی پښتو Patois ភាសា ខ្មែរ Piemontèis Polski Português Română Русиньскый Русский Саха тыла संस्कृतम् Scots Shqip Sicilianu සිංහල Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Soomaaliga کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Basa Sunda Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் Татарча / tatarça తెలుగు ไทย Тоҷикӣ Türkçe Türkmençe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt Võro Winaray 吴语 ייִדיש Yorùbá 粵語 Žemaitėška 中文 Kabɩyɛ 124 more Edit links This page was last edited on 30 May 2018, at 08 : 14. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: how many countries are members of world health organization
Answer: 194