World Health Organization

**1. History and Establishment:**
– International Sanitary Conferences began in 1851, focusing on diseases like cholera.
– The League of Nations Health Organization was established in 1920.
– The WHO’s constitution was signed in 1946 and came into force in 1948.
– The first World Health Assembly in 1948 secured a budget for health priorities.
– The WHO’s logo features the Rod of Asclepius as a symbol for healing.

**2. Mandate, Priorities, and Achievements:**
– The WHO promotes health and safety globally and sets international health standards.
– Achievements include eradicating smallpox, near-eradicating polio, and developing an Ebola vaccine.
– Current priorities include communicable and non-communicable diseases, nutrition, and health emergencies.
– The agency advocates for universal health care coverage and well-being.

**3. Structure, Governance, and Funding:**
– The WHO is governed by the World Health Assembly comprising 194 member states.
– The director-general, currently Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, leads the WHO.
– Member states and private donors primarily fund the WHO.
– The WHO’s approved budget for 2020–2021 was over $7.2 billion.

**4. Collaborations, Agreements, and Global Partnerships:**
– The WHO collaborates with various organizations like the International Atomic Energy Agency.
– Global partnerships include initiatives like the Stop TB Partnership and the Global Fund.
– The WHO revised International Health Regulations after the SARS epidemic.
– Discussions continue on the WHO’s ability to address health impacts of nuclear power and disasters.

**5. Program Initiatives, Health Achievements, and Policies:**
– Program initiatives range from smallpox eradication to HIV/AIDS programs.
– Health achievements include smallpox eradication and gains in child survival.
– WHO’s policies aim for the highest level of health for all people.
– WHO’s objectives include directing and coordinating international health work and promoting cooperation among scientific groups.