June 13, 2024
Source: KFF
Photo / Image Source: Unsplash,
Mission and Priorities
WHO’s overarching mission is “attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.” It supports its mission through activities such as:
providing technical assistance to countries;
setting international health standards and providing guidance on health issues;
coordinating and supporting international responses to health emergencies such as disease outbreaks; and
promoting and advocating for better global health.
The organization also serves as a convener and host for international meetings and discussions on health issues. While WHO is generally not a direct funder of health services and programs in countries, it does provide supplies and other support during emergencies and carries out programs funded by donors.
WHO’s overarching objective for its current work period (2019-2025) has been “ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.” In pursuit of this objective, it has been focusing on three strategic priorities (the “triple-billion targets”): helping 1 billion more people benefit from universal health coverage; ensuring 1 billion more people are better protected against health emergencies; and helping 1 billion more people enjoy better health and well-being.
As part of its work to help countries be better protected against health emergencies – and propelled by the issues and challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic – WHO has been overseeing two sets of international negotiations among member states:
a process to potentially update and amend the International Health Regulations (IHR) agreement, and
the drafting of a new “pandemic agreement” that aims to institute a number of common principles and mechanisms that would contribute to global prevention, preparedness, and response capacities.
At the May 2024 World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting, member states did reach consensus and approved a set of revisions to the IHR. On the pandemic agreement, member states have not yet reached consensus and decided to continue negotiations into next year, and set a goal of completing negotiations and voting on the agreement at the May 2025 WHA meeting.
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