Canada and the World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO), founded in 1948, is the largest of the United Nations (UN) specialized agencies. Its overall goal is to achieve the highest level of health for all. WHO provides leadership on global health matters and the research agenda, sets global health norms and standards, provides technical support to countries, and monitors health trends.

With its near universal membership and strong convening power, WHO is the primary multilateral organization able to mobilize and coordinate international action on global health issues, particularly in contributing to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Canada's support for the World Health Organization

Canada works closely with WHO to reduce global diseases such as polio, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and to improve the health and rights of women and children, including nutrition.

Canada also works with WHO to support national health programs such as those in Haiti and Afghanistan and with WHO's regional offices such as the Pan American Health Organization.

Achievements

With the support of Canada and other donors, WHO:

• Reduced the number of polio cases by more than 99 percent since 1988 when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched, preventing 350,000 children per year from being paralyzed by this disease, with only three polio endemic countries in the world today
• Vaccinated 7 million children against polio in Afghanistan in 2011 through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative
• Supplied high quality, low-cost tuberculosis drugs and technical assistance to more than 93 countries, translating into a cumulative supply of more than 20 million patient treatments through the Global Drug Facility
• Detected more than 140,000 new tuberculosis cases, saved 70,000 lives and prevented more than 1.4 million new infections in 2010 and 2011 through the TB REACH Initiative of the Stop TB Partnership
• Strengthened mutual cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health for improved management of the threat of avian and pandemic influenza
• Reduced the impact of H1N1 pandemic influenza in developing countries by supporting in-country activities related to administration of H1N1 vaccine
• Contributed to the development of a framework to ensure that promises of resources for women's and children's health are kept and that results are measured through its work on the UN Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health