• World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations’ specialized agency for Health was founded in 1948. Its headquarters are situated in Geneva, Switzerland.
• It is an intergovernmental organization and works in collaboration with its member states usually through the Ministries of Health.
• The WHO provides leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

Few Key Functions:

• Providing leadership on matters critical to health and engaging in partnerships where joint action is needed;
• Shaping the research agenda and stimulating the generation, translation and dissemination of valuable knowledge;
• Setting norms and standards and promoting and monitoring their implementation;
• Articulating ethical and evidence-based policy options;
• Providing technical support, catalysing change and building sustainable institutional capacity; 
• Monitoring the health situation and assessing health trends;