The role of WHO in public health

WHO fulfils its objectives through its core 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; and

monitoring the health situation and assessing health trends.

These core functions are set out in the Twelfth General Programme of Work, which provides the framework for organization-wide programme of work, budget, resources and results. Entitled "Not merely the absence of disease", it covers the 6-year period from 2014 to 2019.