Is a specialised agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on April 7, 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health Organization, which had been an agency of the League of Nations.
The notion of establishing an international authority to overlook issues of public health began with the formulation of rules of international law during late 19th and early 20th century. Already on December 9, 1907, a convention was concluded in Rome for the establishment of an International Office of Public Health by the governments of the United Kingdom, Belgium, Brazil, Spain, the United States of America, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland and Egypt.
The WHO's constitution states that its objective "is the attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health.Its major task is to combat disease, especially key infectious diseases, and to promote the general health of the people of the world.