WHO’s office at United Nations
The WHO Office at the United Nations (WUN) represents the interests of WHO at the United Nations (UN) and functions as the Organization’s main interlocutor with the UN system in New York. The Office facilitates the participation of WHO and its Director-General in meetings of the UN Security Council, the General Assembly of the UN, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as well as other intergovernmental forums, interagency briefings, events and interaction with the UN Press Corps.
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The main objectives of the WHO Office at the UN (WUN) is to:
- improve, on behalf of all WHO, its engagement with the UN system;
- better position health in the debates and decisions of UN, inter-governmental bodies;
- anchor health in the global 2030 sustainable development agenda;
- strengthen WHO's effectiveness and leadership role in health as part of the UN humanitarian system;
- create and sustain effective networks and coalitions with the relevant UN agencies and other stakeholders, based on shared agendas for substantive work;
- contribute to a coherent and effective UN system at global, regional and country levels.
To achieve these goals, WUN directly:
- interacts with all key decision-making bodies at the UN Headquarters and pertinent political, economic, social, humanitarian and development groups;
- leads and makes a wide range of recommendations:
- on policy issues
- inter-agency and inter-governmental collaboration and activities
- relations with NGOs, the media
- and positioning of WHO views in various fora and on different agendas
- influences the UN sustainable development and security agenda;
- contributes to building the strongest possible partners alliance towards Universal Health Coverage objective.
WUN consistently:
- promotes health as an integral part and outcome of the sustainable development agenda within the United Nations system and with other organizations and partners;
- represents WHO at meetings of various UN bodies and other organizations in New York:
- the United Nations General Assembly
- ECOSOC and their subsidiaries
- Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) subsidiary bodies
- other relevant interagency meetings in New York
- facilitates WHO’s preparation and attendance to the UN General Assembly;
- engages and represents WHO at QCPR process and assess its implication for WHO;
- maintains liaison with the UN Secretariat, permanent delegations, inter-governmental and other UN organizations, as well as UN specialized agency representatives in New York and the UN correspondence association.