World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a member of the United Nations Development Group. Its predecessor, the League of Nations Health Organization was established following the First World War inside the League of Nations framework.
The use of the word “world” emphasised the truly global nature of what the organization was seeking to achieve. It thus became the first specialised agency of the United Nations to which every member subscribed. 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. (more…)