The World Health Organization (WHO) is a United Nations (UN) agency concerned with international public health. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, WHO was established in the year 1948. The organization is a member of the UN Development Group, as well. At present, the Director-General of the WHO is Tedros Adhanom, who started his five-year term from July 2017. He has served as the Ethiopian Health Minister as well as Ethiopian Foreign Minister before joining WHO.
On 22nd July 1946, the constitution of the world’s biggest organization concerning public health was signed by 61 countries, including its 51 member countries along with ten others. Whereas on 24th July 1948, the World Health Assembly had its first meeting. Since the time of its establishment, WHO has been playing a leading role towards the eradication of smallpox at a global level. With passing years, WHO has given importance to a wide variety of global health issues that were otherwise ignored or have been neglected. In recent years, the World Health Organization is focusing on communicable diseases such as Ebola, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. It is also working towards the mitigation of conditions that are non-communicable such as occupational health, nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, substance abuse, food security, healthy eating, and more.
