History of WHO

History of WHO

WHO
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When diplomats met to form the United Nations in 1945, one of the things they discussed was setting up a global health organization. WHO’s Constitution came into force on 7 April 1948 – a date we now celebrate every year as World Health Day.

Global health organization

When diplomats met to form the United Nations in 1945, one of the things they discussed was setting up a global health organization. WHO’s Constitution came into force on 7 April 1948 – a date we now celebrate every year as World Health Day.

In April 1945, during the Conference to set up the United Nations (UN) held in San Francisco, representatives of Brazil and China proposed that an international health organization be established and a conference to frame its constitution convened. On 15 February 1946, the Economic and Social Council of the UN instructed the Secretary-General to convoke such a conference. A Technical Preparatory Committee met in Paris from 18 March to 5 April 1946 and drew up proposals for the Constitution which were presented to the International Health Conference in New York City between 19 June and 22 July 1946. On the basis of these proposals, the Conference drafted and adopted the Constitution of the World Health Organization, signed 22 July 1946 by representatives of 51 Members of the UN and of 10 other nations.

The Conference established also an Interim Commission to carry out certain activities of the existing health institutions until the entry into force of the Constitution of the World Health Organization. The preamble and Article 69 of the Constitution of WHO provide that WHO should be a specialized agency of the UN. Article 80 provides that the Constitution would come into force when 26 members of the United Nations had ratified it. The Constitution did not come into force until 7 April 1948, when the 26th of the 61 governments who had signed it ratified its signature. The first Health Assembly opened in Geneva on 24 June 1948 with delegations from 53 of the 55 Member States. It decided that the Interim Commission was to cease to exist at midnight on 31 August 1948, to be immediately succeeded by WHO.

 

 

Public health milestones through the years

Collage of two timeline cards of health milestones throughout the years: featuring an image, year, headline, text field and a link for each card

Since the foundation of the World Health Organization in 1948, the world has experienced public health challenges that have required us all to come together with science, solutions and solidarity.

WHO’s 7 + 5 health stories for everyone, everywhere

Adolescents sitting close to each other looking into the camera smiling.

Health stories about WHO's work over the past decades serving people of the world to build a healthier future.

 

Global Health History – understanding the history of health

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The Global Health Histories project was established within the WHO headquarters in late 2004 and expanded into the regional offices from 2009 onwards. An official WHO activity, its mission is based on the principle that understanding the history of health, especially during the last 60 years, helps the global public health community to respond to the challenges of today and help shape a healthier future for everyone, especially those most in need.

Forming an important part of the project, the Global Health Histories Seminars are organised with WHO partners around the world, at WHO headquarters, regional and country offices, as well as with WHO member states and university partners. Since 2005, the seminars have been generously supported by the Wellcome Trust.

 

Records

The First ten years of the World Health Organization

In this anniversary publication an effort has been made not only to review the history of these past ten years but also to place the events of that...

The Second ten years of the World Health Organization, 1958-1967

The twentieth anniversary of the World Health Organization is itself a sign of the will of the nations of the world to act together, across national...

The third ten years of the World Health Organization : 1968-1977

Sharing health knowledge inspired by history enriches global public health and benefits society at large. This volume is the first publication within...

The fourth ten years of the World Health Organization : 1978-1987

Like its predecessors, this account of WHO’s work covers all the major programmes of the Organization. It is largely a record of the records; that...