Representatives of 61 states adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) Constitution in 1946. The Organization formally came into existence on 7 April 1948 and became a UN specialized agency on 10 July 1948. Article 1 of the Constitution defines the WHO's objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health". The detailed functions are set out in article 2 of the Constitution.
The WHO is composed of the World Health Assembly, the Executive Board and the Secretariat. The Executive Board is composed of 34 individuals technically qualified in the health field, each one designated by a Member State elected to do so by the World Health Assembly.
As of May 2011, there were 193 Member States.
Africa (46 members) Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Congo Cote d'Ivoire DR Congo Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea Kenya Lesotho Liberia Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone South Africa Swaziland Togo Uganda UR of Tanzania Zambia Zimbabwe
The Americas (35 members) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago USA Uruguay Venezuela
Eastern Mediterranean (21 members) Aghanistan Bahrain Djibouti Egypt Iran Iraq Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Libyan AJ Morocco Oman Pakistan Qatar Saudi Arabia Somalia Sudan Syrian AR Tunisia UAE Yemen
Europe (53 members) Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Isral Italy Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Moldova Romania Russian Federation San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Tajikistan The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Turkey Turkmenistan Ukraine UK Uzbekistan
South-East Asia (11 members) Bangladesh Bhutan DPRK Indonesia Maldives Myanmar Nepal Sri Lanka Thailand Timor-Leste
Western Pacific (27 members) Australia Brunei Darussalam Cambodia China Cook Islands Fiji Japan Kiribati Lao PDR Malaysia Marshall Islands Micronesia Mongolia Nauru New Zealand Niue Palau Papua New Guinea Philippines ROK Samoa Singapore Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu Viet Nam
Associate Members Puerto Rico Tokelau
The World Health Assembly takes place annually, usually in Geneva, Switzerland. The Board meets at least twice a year in Geneva.
Organ(s)
Category
HQ location
Date established
Resolution
Joined CEB
Leadership
Representatives of 61 states adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) Constitution in 1946. The Organization formally came into existence on 7 April 1948 and became a UN specialized agency on 10 July 1948. Article 1 of the Constitution defines the WHO's objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health". The detailed functions are set out in article 2 of the Constitution.
The WHO is composed of the World Health Assembly, the Executive Board and the Secretariat. The Executive Board is composed of 34 individuals technically qualified in the health field, each one designated by a Member State elected to do so by the World Health Assembly.
As of May 2011, there were 193 Member States.
Africa (46 members)
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Congo
Cote d'Ivoire
DR Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Swaziland
Togo
Uganda
UR of Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe
The Americas (35 members)
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
USA
Uruguay
Venezuela
Eastern Mediterranean (21 members)
Aghanistan
Bahrain
Djibouti
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libyan AJ
Morocco
Oman
Pakistan
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Somalia
Sudan
Syrian AR
Tunisia
UAE
Yemen
Europe (53 members)
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Isral
Italy
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Republic of Moldova
Romania
Russian Federation
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Tajikistan
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
UK
Uzbekistan
South-East Asia (11 members)
Bangladesh
Bhutan
DPRK
Indonesia
Maldives
Myanmar
Nepal
Sri Lanka
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Western Pacific (27 members)
Australia
Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
China
Cook Islands
Fiji
Japan
Kiribati
Lao PDR
Malaysia
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Mongolia
Nauru
New Zealand
Niue
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
ROK
Samoa
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Viet Nam
Associate Members
Puerto Rico
Tokelau
The World Health Assembly takes place annually, usually in Geneva, Switzerland. The Board meets at least twice a year in Geneva.
20 Avenue Appia
1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland
Telephone: (+41 22) 791 2111
Fax: (+41 22) 791 3111
Email: info@who.int
Agreements between WHO and the UN