The World Health Organization was established in 1948.
The WHO Constitution came into force on 7 April 1948, a date now observed each year as World Health Day. The organization was created as a specialized agency of the United Nations to coordinate international public-health work.
Its responsibilities include supporting disease surveillance, setting health standards, responding to emergencies, and helping countries expand access to essential health services. The WHO headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland.
The organization grew out of earlier international health cooperation, including the health work of the League of Nations. A frequent mix-up is the United Nations itself: the UN was founded in 1945, three years before the WHO Constitution entered into force. The WHO also differs from national health ministries because it coordinates and supports countries rather than serving as one country’s domestic health authority.