What is WHO?

This is a relatively old video that I had made but decided not to put on the channel. I re-edited it, so here it is. The World Health Organization (WHO) was founded on April 7, 1948, the date on which World Health Day is celebrated. It is a specialized agency in public health, subordinate to the United Nations (UN). Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO's objective, according to its own constitution, is to develop the highest possible level of health on the planet. This is not only about preventing diseases, but about the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being of all peoples. Thus, it seeks to help governments strengthen health services, stimulate cooperation between scientific groups so that studies in the area advance, and provide information about health. In addition, its function is to propose improvements in nutrition, housing, sanitation, recreation, economic and working conditions of the population. Who is part of it? It is composed of 194 Member States, including all 193 UN Member States except Liechtenstein, and two non-UN members: Niue and the Cook Islands, which are associated territories of New Zealand. Each member appoints delegations to the World Health Assembly, the supreme decision-making body, which meets annually in May. What does the WHO do? One of the WHO's main functions is to coordinate international efforts to control disease outbreaks, as is being done in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was done in the past with tuberculosis and malaria, for example. It also sponsors programs for disease prevention and treatment and supports the development and distribution of safe and effective vaccines and medicines. One of the WHO's great achievements was the eradication of smallpox thanks to its efforts between 1967 and 1979. With the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the WHO also celebrated the reduction of approximately 99% in polio cases. In the fight against AIDS, the organization plays an important role, being one of the participating agencies of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), which seeks to research and combat the disease. The WHO conducts research in various areas of health, on communicable or non-communicable diseases, or tropical diseases, for example. It regularly publishes a World Health Report, including an expert assessment of global health. In addition to carrying out various health campaigns, such as those promoting the consumption of fruits and vegetables worldwide and those against tobacco use.