The World Health Organization (WHO), and is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It was created in 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva (Switzerland). Nowadays, it accounts 194 member states.

The World Health Assembly, WHO’s supreme decision-making body, gathers annually at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. During this multi-day meeting, resolutions on key health issues are adopted to urge Member States and to request the WHO Director General undertake particular actions related to these key health issues. Similarly, regional resolutions are adopted at regional committee meetings. The resolutions that follow pertain to health technologies and medical devices. The WHO is working at an international level, and is reforming to be better equipped to address the increasingly complex challenges of health in the 21st century.

WHO has published its draft 13th General Programme of Work (GPW13) on 1 November 2017. The draft 13th General Programme of Work was discussed at a Special Session of WHO’s Executive Board on 22 and 23 November in Geneva. To continue the inclusive process of developing GPW 13, these draft documents were open for Non-state actors* to comment until 23 Nov. 2017. The programme is available here in 6 Languages. The DITTA Global Health Working Group coordinated by Nicole Denjoy/COCIR will coordinate further insights on WHO and its draft programme.

*DITTA is in official Relations with WHO and could submit as Non-State Actor comments.