A United Nations specialized agency established in 1948 with the broad aim of attaining the highest level of health for all people, and supported by 194 member states. Its head office is in Geneva, Switzerland. WHO does not conduct its own research but promotes biomedical and health research in some 500 collaborating centres worldwide, arranging international medical conferences and the exchange and training of research workers. WHO compiles the International Pharmacopoeia, monitors epidemics, evaluates new drugs, and advises on biological standards. It publishes monthly an international journal of health development, the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. A notable success of WHO has been the global eradication of smallpox; in 2012 it declared the eradication of polio to be an urgent global health priority.

WHO advocates a number of public health measures to provide safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, the immunization of all children against major communicable diseases, and the reduction of malnutrition. In addition, it has intensified efforts to prevent and combat endemic diseases, such as malaria and tuberculosis, and to give access to essential drugs and to family planning services.