What is the World Health Organization and what is its importance?

From laboratories to battlefields, the World Health Organization has been dedicated to the well-being of all people since 1948. Guided by science, the organization is supported by its 194 member nations, including the United States, one of its founders.

On January 20, 2025, US President Donald Trump announced the United States’ intention to withdraw from the World Health Organization.

So, what has the World Health Organization given the world? The short answer is a lot. The organization is currently working with Member States and on the front lines in more than 150 locations and has achieved many… Achievements In the field of public health.

Here is everything you need to know about the largest health authority in the world.

Responding to emergencies

Amidst crises, conflicts and the constant threat of disease outbreaks and climate change, the organization’s response to the wars in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine is ensuring that vaccines and life-saving medical supplies reach remote or dangerous areas.

As healthcare faces unprecedented risks, in 2023 the organization documented more than 1,200 attacks affecting workers, patients, hospitals, clinics and ambulances in 19 countries and territories, resulting in the death of more than 700 people and the injury of nearly 1,200 others.

In fact, WHO teams often go where others won’t. They routinely evacuate injured patients and provide life-saving equipment, supplies and services in areas torn by conflict or disaster.

The World Health Organization was among the United Nations agencies that cooperated with the Palestinian Ministry of Health in a large-scale vaccination campaign against polio in the Gaza Strip after the first case was recorded in the Strip in 2024 in 25 years.

Track and address health crises

Teams of WHO experts are all the time examining thousands of pieces of information, including scientific publications and disease surveillance reports, looking for signs of disease outbreaks or other public health threats, from bird flu to Covid-19.

The organization works to mobilize to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases while enhancing access to basic health services.

This includes enhancing the capacity of hospitals to do everything including deliveries, treating war injuries and training health care workers.

Eliminate diseases around the world

A wide range of diseases and conditions can be eliminated, including neglected infectious diseases, vector-borne diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, diseases transmitted from mother to child, and diseases that vaccines can prevent.

WHO provides essential medicines and medical equipment while enabling and strengthening laboratory capacities to diagnose diseases wherever possible.

In 2024, WHO Member States have achieved several notable achievements in addressing these major global health challenges. Seven countries (Brazil, Chad, India, Pakistan, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam) have eliminated tropical diseases, including leprosy and trachoma.

Mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis has also been eliminated in Belize, Jamaica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Namibia has achieved a major milestone towards eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and hepatitis B.

The organization has also played a major role over the past seven decades, including eradicating smallpox in 1980, achieving near-elimination of polio, and providing life-saving aid in Gaza during the recent war.

Artificial intelligence and digital health

The World Health Organization is embracing new frontiers, including artificial intelligence, in The field of digital health. As the impact of emerging AI technologies continues to grow, WHO is working to ensure their safety and effectiveness in health.

This includes new guidance published last October which lists key regulatory considerations on issues such as harnessing the potential of AI to treat or detect conditions such as cancer or tuberculosis while minimizing risks such as unethical data collection, cybersecurity threats and the amplification of biases or misinformation.

Confronting the deadly climate-related health crisis

The climate-related health crisis affects at least 3.5 billion people – nearly half the world’s population.

Extreme heat, extreme weather events and air pollution will cause millions of deaths in 2023, putting enormous pressure on health systems and workforces, from the current wildfires burning on the US West Coast to Flash floods deadly in Indonesia.

Part of response The World Health Organization’s mandate is to protect health from a wide range of climate change impacts, and this includes assessing vulnerabilities and developing plans.

The organization has also worked to implement systems to respond to key risks, such as extreme heat and infectious diseases, and to support resilience and adaptation in health-specific sectors such as water and food.

What is the World Health Organization working on now?

The organization is leading efforts to conclude a global treaty to take a deeper step towards strengthening pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, similar to what the founders of the International Conference on Health did in 1851.

The United Nations agency is also currently working on an investigation “Three billion goals”.

Set in 2019, the targets are that by 2025, an additional billion people will benefit from universal health coverage, an additional billion people will be better protected from health emergencies, and a further billion people will enjoy better health and well-being.

Who leads the World Health Organization?

The organization’s leadership is international. It is headquartered in Geneva, and is headed by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The current approved budget for 2024-2025 is $6.83 billion, and comes from member assessments, along with voluntary contributions.

The WHO’s decision-making body, the World Health Assembly, is made up of member states and meets annually to agree on the organization’s priorities and policies.

Members decide on health goals and strategies that will guide their public health work and the work of the WHO Secretariat to move the world towards better health and well-being for all. This includes implementing reform measures that have made WHO more effective.