Dedicated to the well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization (WHO) leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere an equal chance at a safe and healthy life.Since 1948 we have been the United Nations’ specialized health agency connecting nations, partners and communities working to promote the highest attainable standard of health for all people, regardless of race, religion, gender, political belief, economic or social condition.Today, we work with 194 countries and on the front lines in 150+ locations – leading the world's response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health issues and expanding access to medicines and health care.Our aim is to help countries in attaining the triple billion targets by 2023. The targets include one billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage, one billion more people better protected from health emergencies, and one billion more people enjoying better health and well-being.Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.

WHO is comprised of the World Health Assembly, the Executive Board and the Secretariat. The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the main decision-making body of the WHO comprising of 194 Member States. Every year, delegates from all Member States come together to agree on the Organization’s priorities and policies.At the WHA, new health goals and strategies are set, and tasks are assigned in order to reach those goals.The WHA, amongst others, determines the policies and course of action of the Organization, whose implementation is then supported by the Secretariat.

WHA74 was held virtually due to COVID-19 pandemic.The Assembly discussed amongst a total of over 70 health issues, reports on COVID-19 response and preparedness, mental health, patient safety, noncommunicable diseases, antimicrobial resistance, health workforce, laboratory biosafety, violence against women, girls and children, WHO results framework, WHO budget for 2022-2023, and health issues within 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.At the WHA, Member States adopted a new resolution reaffirming WHO's role as the directing and coordinating authority in health during emergencies and beyond, and to aid governments towards achieving resilient health systems and universal health coverage. They agreed to convene a special session of the WHA in November 2021 to consider the benefits of developing a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance and interconnection of the triple billion targets and Sustainable Development Goals.

It has shown the importance of pandemic preparedness based on stronger primary health care to protect lives and livelihoods. It has demonstrated the need for access to essential health services for all, with disease spreading along fault lines of inequality in society. And it has made clear that a broader, whole-of-society approach and global solidarity are requisites for the response.

The pandemic proved that WHO’s role is more essential than ever now. It forged a more agile and responsive WHO, underpinned by our continuing transformation agenda. During the pandemic, we have stepped up innovations resulting in new initiatives such as the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, COVAX global vaccine partnership, COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund among others.We are facing a critical phase in the global response to COVID-19 pandemic. The WHA sessions in 2021 have a special role in establishing the most effective strategy to fight against end the COVID-19 pandemic.

 COVID-19 continues to show everything is at risk when health is at risk. Since the first day of the pandemic, we took rapid action to alert the world and guide countries to act. We issued the WHO Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to support national responses. We collaborated with researchers and manufacturers to find and deliver COVID-19 vaccines to countries within a shortest-ever timeline. More than 7 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered, and more than 430 million doses have been shipped through COVAX, as of November 2021. But vaccine inequity is fueling the pandemic. WHO is urging all countries to vaccinate at least 40% of their populations by the end of this year, and reach 70%, by the mid-2022. Vaccines alone are not enough to overcome the pandemic: countries need to take all actions to reduce transmission and deaths. WHO and partners are helping them in many ways; for example, WHO and partners have procured more than US$ 1.3 billion of essential supplies to help national response in 191 countries. online learning platform has hosted 5.6 million enrolments across more than 100 health courses helping many frontline workers delivering COVID-19 care. At every twist and turn of the evolution of the pandemic, there was a demand for a strong WHO – for a lead health authority that was evidence-based, data-driven, results-focused and also deeply responsive to the needs of the communities and individuals we serve, particularly the most vulnerable.Since the start of the pandemic, the Director-General has been briefing and consulting with Member States on a weekly basis. Together with our lead experts, he held open briefings for global media every week since the beginning of the pandemic.COVID-19 threatens the health and wellbeing of everyone on our planet. It requires a rapid, coordinated, evidence-based global response. We as WHO are coordinating that response to protect all people, everywhere. Because no one is safe until everyone is safe.