WHO stands for World Health Organization.
It is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN), founded on April 7, 1948, and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO serves as the global coordinating authority on international public health, with the mission to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve vulnerable populations everywhere.
Key Aspects of the WHO
Core Purpose — To achieve the highest possible level of health for all people, defining health broadly as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (from its Constitution).
Main Activities — Coordinating responses to health emergencies (e.g., pandemics like COVID-19), setting global health standards and guidelines, providing technical support to countries, combating infectious diseases, promoting universal health coverage, and addressing issues like mental health, nutrition, and non-communicable diseases.
Structure — It has 194 member states and operates through six regional offices (Africa, Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, South-East Asia, and Western Pacific), plus numerous country offices.
Governance — Led by a Director-General (currently Tedros Adhem Ghebreyesus as of recent years), with decisions made by the World Health Assembly (annual meeting of member states).
While “WHO” can have other niche meanings in specific contexts (e.g., “Wrist-Hand Orthosis” in medical devices or minor organizational acronyms), the overwhelmingly dominant and universally recognized meaning—especially when capitalized as “WHO”—is the World Health Organization. This is the entity most people refer to in news, policy, medicine, and everyday discussions about global health.