Editing World Health Organization (section)

===Regional offices===
[[File:World Health Organisation regional offices.svg|thumb|Map of the WHO's regional offices and their respective operating regions:
{{legend|#80b0e8|Africa; HQ: [[Brazzaville]], Republic of the Congo}}
{{legend|#7ae6ce|Western Pacific; HQ: [[Manila]], Philippines}}
{{legend|#e7e763|Eastern [[Mediterranean]]; HQ: [[Cairo]], Egypt}}
{{legend|#9de678|South East Asia; HQ: [[New Delhi]], India}}
{{legend|#e078e6|Europe; HQ: [[Copenhagen]], Denmark}}
{{legend|#f67878|Americas; HQ: [[Washington, D.C.]], US}}
]]

The regional divisions of WHO were created between 1949 and 1952, following the model of the pre-existing [[Pan American Health Organization#History|Pan American Health Organization]],<ref name="Hanrieder-2015">{{Cite journal |last=Hanrieder |first=Tine |date=March 2015 |title=The path-dependent design of international organizations: Federalism in the World Health Organization |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1354066114530011 |journal=European Journal of International Relations |language=en |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=215–239 |doi=10.1177/1354066114530011 |issn=1354-0661 |hdl=10419/190758 |hdl-access=free |access-date=11 July 2024 |archive-date=28 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428000054/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1354066114530011 |url-status=live }}</ref> and are based on article 44 of the WHO's constitution, which allowed the WHO to "establish a [single] regional organization to meet the special needs of [each defined] area". Many decisions are made at the regional level, including important discussions over WHO's budget, and in deciding the members of the next assembly, which are designated by the regions.<ref name="burci53">{{harvnb|Burci|Vignes|2004|pages=53–57}}.</ref>

Each region has a regional committee, which generally meets once a year, normally in the autumn. Representatives attend from each member or associative member in each region, including those states that are not full members. For example, [[Palestine]] attends meetings of the [[Eastern Mediterranean Regional office of World Health Organization|Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office]]. Each region also has a regional office.<ref name="burci53" /> Each regional office is headed by a director, who is elected by the Regional Committee. The board must approve such appointments, although as of 2004, it had never over-ruled the preference of a regional committee. The exact role of the board in the process has been a subject of debate, but the practical effect has always been small.<ref name="burci53" /> Since 1999, regional directors serve for a once-renewable five-year term, and typically take their position on 1 February.<ref>{{cite web |title=A year of change: Reports of the Executive Board on its 102nd and 103rd sessions |url=http://apps.who.int/gb/archive/pdf_files/WHA52/ew2.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011220426/http://apps.who.int/gb/archive/pdf_files/WHA52/ew2.pdf |archive-date=11 October 2017 |access-date=11 February 2012 |publisher=WHO}}</ref>

Each regional committee of the WHO consists of all the Health Department heads, in all the governments of the countries that constitute the Region. Aside from electing the regional director, the regional committee is also in charge of setting the guidelines for the implementation, within the region, of the health and other policies adopted by the [[World Health Assembly]]. The regional committee also serves as a progress review board for the actions of WHO within the Region.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}} The regional director is effectively the head of WHO for his or her region. The RD manages and/or supervises a staff of health and other experts at the regional offices and in specialized centres. The RD is also the direct supervising authority – concomitantly with the WHO Director-General – of all the heads of WHO country offices, known as WHO Representatives, within the region.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

The strong position of the regional offices has been criticized in WHO history for undermining its effectiveness and led to unsuccessful attempts to integrate them more strongly within 'One WHO'.<ref name="Hanrieder-2015" /> Disease specific programmes such as the smallpox eradication programme<ref>{{cite book |last=Henderson |first=D. A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1u7Xw5i7Ky0C |title=Smallpox: The Death of a Disease: The Inside Story of Eradicating a Worldwide Killer |publisher=Prometheus Books |year=2009 |isbn=978-1591027225 |location=United States |access-date=20 March 2023 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326164801/https://books.google.com/books?id=1u7Xw5i7Ky0C |url-status=live }}</ref> or the 1980s Global Programme on AIDS<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hanrieder |first=Tine |date=April 2014 |title=Local orders in international organisations: the World Health Organization's global programme on AIDS |journal=Journal of International Relations and Development |language=en |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=220–241 |doi=10.1057/jird.2013.7 |issn=1408-6980 |pmc=7140235 |pmid=32288632}}</ref> were set up with more direct, vertical structures that bypassed the regional offices.

{| class="wikitable"
|+Regional offices of WHO
|-
!width=13%|Region
!width=17%|Headquarters
!Notes
|-
|Africa
|[[Brazzaville]], Republic of the Congo
|AFRO includes most of Africa, with the exception of Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Tunisia, Libya, Somalia and Morocco (all fall under EMRO).<ref>{{cite web |title=Regional Office for Africa |url=https://www.who.int/about/regions/afro/en/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304110825/http://www.who.int/about/regions/afro/en/index.html |archive-date=4 March 2012 |access-date=11 February 2012 |publisher=WHO}}</ref> The regional director is [[Matshidiso Moeti]], a Botswana national. (Tenure: 2015–present).<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFRO Regional Director Biography {{!}} WHO |url=http://www.afro.who.int/regional-director/biography |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180611060217/http://www.afro.who.int/regional-director/biography |archive-date=11 June 2018 |access-date=11 June 2018 |website=afro.who.int}}</ref>
|-
|Europe
|[[Copenhagen]], Denmark
|EURO includes all of Europe (except Liechtenstein), Israel, and all of the former [[Soviet Union|USSR]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Regional Office for Europe |url=https://www.who.int/about/regions/euro/en/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122184028/http://www.who.int/about/regions/euro/en/index.html |archive-date=22 January 2012 |access-date=11 February 2012 |publisher=WHO}}</ref> The regional director is [[Hans Kluge]], a Belgian national (Tenure: 2020–present).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dr Kluge: biography |url=https://www.euro.who.int/en/about-us/regional-director/dr-hans-kluge-biography |website=World Health Organization/Europe |access-date=14 February 2021 |archive-date=29 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129173833/https://www.euro.who.int/en/about-us/regional-director/dr-hans-kluge-biography |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
|South-East Asia
|[[New Delhi]], India
|[[Democratic People's Republic of Korea|North Korea]] is served by SEARO.<ref>{{cite web |title=Regional Office for South-East Asia |url=https://www.who.int/about/regions/searo/en/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304104600/http://www.who.int/about/regions/searo/en/index.html |archive-date=4 March 2012 |access-date=11 February 2012 |publisher=WHO}}</ref> The regional director is [[Saima Wazed]], a Bangladeshi national (Tenure: 2024–present).<ref>{{Cite web |title=SEARO Regional Director Biography {{!}} WHO |url=http://www.searo.who.int/regional_director/en/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180611061702/http://www.searo.who.int/regional_director/en/ |archive-date=11 June 2018 |access-date=11 June 2018 |website=searo.who.int}}</ref>
|-
|Eastern Mediterranean
|[[Cairo]], Egypt
|The [[Eastern Mediterranean Regional office of World Health Organization|Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office]] serves the countries of Africa that are not included in AFRO, as well as all countries in the Middle East except for Israel. Pakistan is served by EMRO.<ref>{{cite web |title=Regional Office for Eastern Mediterranean |url=https://www.who.int/about/regions/emro/en/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203230234/http://www.who.int/about/regions/emro/en/index.html |archive-date=3 February 2012 |access-date=11 February 2012 |publisher=WHO}}</ref> The regional director is [[Ahmed Al-Mandhari]], an Omani national (Tenure: 2018 – present).<ref>{{Cite web |title=EMRO Regional Director Biography {{!}} WHO |url=http://www.emro.who.int/about-who/regional-director/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180611062729/http://www.emro.who.int/about-who/regional-director/index.html |archive-date=11 June 2018 |access-date=11 June 2018 |website=emro.who.int}}</ref>
|-
|Western Pacific
|[[Manila]], the Philippines
|WPRO covers all the Asian countries not served by SEARO, EMRO, or EURO, and all the countries in Oceania. South Korea is served by WPRO.<ref>{{cite web |title=Regional Office for the Western Pacific |url=https://www.who.int/about/regions/wpro/en/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303031050/http://www.who.int/about/regions/wpro/en/index.html |archive-date=3 March 2012 |access-date=11 February 2012 |publisher=WHO}}</ref> The acting regional director is [[Zsuzsanna Jakab]], a Hungarian national and the current WHO Deputy Director-General (Tenure: 2023 – present).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Western Pacific Regional Director |url=https://www.who.int/westernpacific/about/governance/regional-director |access-date=26 July 2023 |website=www.who.int |archive-date=26 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726130746/https://www.who.int/westernpacific/about/governance/regional-director |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|The Americas
|[[Washington, D.C.]], United States
| Also known as the [[Pan American Health Organization]] (PAHO), and covers the Americas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Regional Office for the Americas |url=https://www.who.int/about/regions/amro/en/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304104500/http://www.who.int/about/regions/amro/en/index.html |archive-date=4 March 2012 |access-date=11 February 2012 |publisher=WHO}}</ref> The WHO regional director is [[Jarbas Barbosa]], a Brazilian national (Tenure: 2023 – present).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO/WHO Director |url=https://www.paho.org/en/dr-jarbas-barbosa-paho-who-director |access-date=21 January 2025 |website=World Health Organization}}</ref>
|}