Figure 1.-- This 1992 WHO press photo shows a Zimbabwean girl fetching fresh water. Safe drinking water is probably the single most important public health issue. The caption read, "Water flows: it is safe, it means health." WHO efforts are particularly important in countries like Zimbabwe with governments that have wrecked the ecinomy with socialist policies and the abandonment of the rule of law. Photographer: L. Taylor.

Another very important U.N. agency is the World Health Organization. The World Health Organization--WHO (Organisation Mondiale de la Santé) is the U.N. spoecialized health agency. It was established shortly after the U.N. was founded (1948). Its mission was to promote international cooperation for improved public health conditions. Public health is a function that all countries share, but the economic capability to address public issues varies widely. And medical issues and disease pathogens do not recognize national borders. The WHO inherited a range of tasks concerning epidemic control, quarantine measures, and drug standardization from the Health Organization (HO) of the League of Nations which had been established soon after the League was established (1923) and the International Office of Public Health at Paris established earlier (1907). The WHO united these two international efforts and assigned a broad mandate to pursue major internstional health issues. The WHO constitution describes its mission as attaining 'the highest possible level of health' by all peoples. The WHO defines health as 'a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.' The WHO designated World Health Day as April 7, 1948. Many U.N. organizations have come under criticism for a range of problems. The WHO is one of the most respected and least criticise of the U.N. agencies. The administrative headquarters in in Geneva where the League of Nations had been established. The governing WHO body is the World Health Assembly. It meets annually and decides on policy issues. An Executive Board of health specialists elected for 3-year terms by the Assembly. The WHO Secretariat is the personnel which conducts routine operations to implement WHO programs. It is made up of experts, staff, and field workers who work at the Geneva headquarters or at one of the six regional WHO offices and other offices located around the world. The chief executive officer is the director general nominated by the Executive Board and voted in by the World Health Assembly.

Predecessor Agencies

The WHO inherited a range of tasks concerning epidemic control, quarantine measures, and drug standardization from the International Office of Public Health at Paris established earlier (1907) and the Health Organization (HO) of the League of Nations which had been established soon after the League was established (1923).

U.N. Agency

Another very important U.N. agency is the World Health Organization. The World Health Organization--WHO (Organisation Mondiale de la Santé) is the U.N. spoecialized health agency. It was established shortly after the U.N. was founded (1948).

Mission

The WHO's mission was to promote international cooperation for improved public health conditions. Public health is a function that all countries share, but the economic capability to address public issues varies widely. And medical issues and disease pathogens do not recognize national borders. The WHO constitution describes its mission as attaining 'the highest possible level of health' by all peoples. The WHO defines health as 'a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.' The WHO designated World Health Day as April 7, 1948.

Tasks

The WHO inherited a range of tasks from its concerning epidemic control, quarantine measures, and drug standardization from the International Office of Public Health at Paris and the Health Organization (HO) of the League of Nations. The WHO united these two international efforts and assigned a broad mandate to pursue other major internstional health issues.

Countries

There are two types of countries involved in the United Nations and WHO--developed and developing countries. The first group of countries are the developed industrial powers like America, Europe, Japan, and the newly successful countries (the Asian Tigers, China, India, and others) which have dynamic economies because of the adoption of capitalist market reforms. These are countries with effective health care systems. The utilize WHO serrvices in working on coordinating medical actions that require multi national efforts like wiping out diseases such as polio, smallpox, and others and to prevent pandemics. These are efforts that require multi-national efforts. Within this group there are capitalist and Communist countries (the Soviet Uniin and now China). It is not able that all of the innovation with new drugs and procedures came from capitalist counties. Comminist countries improved health conditions with policies like public sanutatin and wider use of existing medical technology although this was limited by the economic stagnation. The Communist countries made virtually no advances in medical science. The second group of coutries are those which need assistance in developing effective health care systems. The range of assustance needed varies widely wihin this group. The counties most in need of asiatance are the newly indepedent counties of Africa (1960s-70s). The bright hopes of independence for the most part were not achieved. There are a range of reasons for this, but primarily because the regins leaders failed to moce toward freedom, both political (democracy) and economiv (capitalism). \For the most part the first genreration of leaders just assumed independence and the adoption of socialist ecomomic policies would automativally lead to prosperity. It did not. And without economic success, a country is unavle to fuinance an effective public health system.

Criticism

Many U.N. organizations have come under criticism for a range of problems. The WHO is one of the most respected and least criticise of the U.N. agencies. The one notable controvery we have noted is Arab/Palestinian efforts to attack Israel through the WHO. The 31st World Health Assembly of the WHO adopted two Arab-sponsored resolutions condemning Israel for alleged acts detrimental to the health and welfare of the populations of south Lebanon and the West Bank (1978). Another Arab-drafted resolution accusing Israel of 'arbitrary practices' that 'affect the physical, social and psychological health conditions of the Arabs'. One could argue that Arab/Palestinian policies have had more to death with the situation in Labanon and the West Bank than the Isrealis. The Arabs/Palestinians have been much more active in other U.N. specialized agencies.

Organization

The administrative headquarters in in Geneva where the League of Nations had been established. The governing WHO body is the World Health Assembly. It meets annually and decides on policy issues. An Executive Board of health specialists elected for 3-year terms by the Assembly. The WHO Secretariat is the personnel which conducts routine operations to implement WHO programs. It is made up of experts, staff, and field workers who work at the Geneva headquarters or at one of the six regional WHO offices and other offices located around the world. The chief executive officer is the director general nominated by the Executive Board and voted in by the World Health Assembly.

Created: 7:22 PM 6/7/2016
Last updated: 11:05 AM 3/1/2019