The International Sanitary Conferences (ISC), the first of which was held on 23 June 1851, were a series of conferences that took place until 1938, about 87 years. 4.1 Gallery of the WHO Headquarters Building.3.8 Medical Society of the World Health Organization.3.2 World Health Assembly and Executive Board.3.1.1 Membership and participation of the Republic of China.2.3.1 International Agency for Research on Cancer.2.2.2 Public health education and action.2.1.6.2 Response to the COVID-19 pandemic.2.1.6.1 Reform efforts following the Ebola outbreak.Since the late 20th century, the rise of new actors engaged in global health such as the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief ( PEPFAR) and dozens of public-private partnerships for global health have weakened the WHO’s role as a coordinator and policy leader in the field. Among the largest contributors were Germany (which contributed 12.18% of the budget), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (11.65%), and the United States (7.85%). Contributions are assessed by a formula that includes GDP per capita. Its total approved budget for 2020–2021 is over $7.2 billion, of which the majority comes from voluntary contributions from member states. The WHO relies on contributions from member states (both assessed and voluntary) and private donors for funding. The director-general is Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia.
It selects the director-general, sets goals and priorities, and approves the budget and activities. Its World Health Assembly, the agency's decision-making body, elects and advises an executive board made up of 34 health specialists. Its current priorities include communicable diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS, Ebola, COVID-19, malaria and tuberculosis non-communicable diseases such as heart disease and cancer healthy diet, nutrition, and food security occupational health and substance abuse. The WHO has played a leading role in several public health achievements, most notably the eradication of smallpox, the near- eradication of polio, and the development of an Ebola vaccine. The WHO also serves as a forum for discussions of health issues. A publication, the World Health Report, provides assessments of worldwide health topics. It provides technical assistance to countries, sets international health standards, and collects data on global health issues. It advocates that a billion more people should have: universal health care coverage, engagement with the monitoring of public health risks, coordinating responses to health emergencies, and promoting health and well-being.
The WHO's mandate seeks and includes: working worldwide to promote health, keeping the world safe, and serve the vulnerable. Its work began in earnest in 1951 after a significant infusion of financial and technical resources.
The WHO incorporated the assets, personnel, and duties of the League of Nations' Health Organization and the Office International d'Hygiène Publique, including the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The first meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA), the agency's governing body, took place on 24 July of that year.