WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for global public health. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has six regional offices and 150 field offices worldwide. Only sovereign states can participate, and it is the largest intergovernmental health organization at the international level.

The WHO’s purpose is to achieve the highest possible level of health for all the world’s people, defining health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” The main functions of the World Health Organization include: to promote the control of epidemic and endemic diseases; to provide and improve the teaching and training in public health, the medical treatment of disease and related matters; and to promote the establishment of international standards for biological products.