ABSTRACT
Article 55 of the United Nations (UN) Charter states that the promotion of ‘higher standards of living’ and ‘solutions of international ... health, and related problems’ is one of the primary objectives of the UN. Representatives of 61 States signed the WHO Constitution in July 1946 at the International Health Conference in New York. In April 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) began its function as a specialised agency of the UN replacing its predecessor, the Health Organization of the League of Nations (HOLN), which existed during the inter-war period. Today, the WHO is one of the largest specialised agencies with six regional offices, more than 190 Member States and an annual budget of more than $800 m.1
