World Health Organization (WHO)

Objectives

The World Health Organization is a United Nations specialized agency for health, established on 7 April 1948. WHO is governed by 192 Member States through the World Health Assembly. WHO’s Secretariat is staffed by health professionals, other experts and support staff working at headquarters in Geneva, in the six regional offices and in country offices. WHO’s regional offices are:

• Regional Office for Africa - located in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo (temporary in Harari)
• Regional Office for Europe - located in Copenhagen, Denmark
• Regional Office for South-East Asia - located in New Delhi, India
• Regional Office for the Americas/Pan-American Health Organization located in Washington D.C., USA
• Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean - located in Cairo, Egypt
• Regional Office for the Western Pacific - located in Manila, Philippines
  

Mission Statement:

WHO's objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment of the highest possible level of health for all peoples. Globally, WHO focuses on communicable diseases and non communicable diseases control and the protection and promotion of health. Regional initiatives center on the development of human resources, the fulfillment of basic needs including healthy villages and health information, eradication, elimination and control of specific diseases, promotion of healthy lifestyles and the provision of essential drugs.
WHO-Syria office is headed by the WHO Representative; who is working closely with national authorities for formulation, adoption and implementation of health policies through the Joint Program Review Mission (JPRM)

The Representative:

WHO Representative in Syrian Arab Republic, Dr.Ibrahim Betelmal, acts under the authority of the Director-General and the Regional Director, on behalf of the Organization as a whole, and is the senior officer responsible for all aspects of the collaborative activities of WHO in the country .WR establishes and maintains close contact with highest levels of the national health authority & related agencies.
The main functions of WHO Representative in Syria, in support to and in collaboration with the Government, include:

• National, regional and global health policy formulation and implementation;
• Planning, program and management of national health programs;
• Planning and management of WHO collaborative activities in the country;
• Mobilization and rationalization of the use of available resources;
• Guidance and supervision of WHO field staff in the country;
• Coordination within the country and with External partners;
• Representation of the totality of the Organization at country level.
  

Overall objective:

The overall objective of WHO in Syrian Arab Republic is to support the health status of the Syrian people by working in partnership with the Ministry of Health (MoH), Syria, other health stakeholders, the United Nations (UN) agencies and other agencies –national and international. 
As with the other WHO country offices, WHO in Syria does not carry out national programmes at the country level. National programmes are planned and implemented by the Ministry of Health.  WHO’s role is a catalytic one providing technical assistance to support these national programmes.  Currently, much of the technical assistance has been in the area of health system development, human research development (Family medicine, nursing), primary health care, reproductive health, health promotion and prevention, community based initiatives, and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Today, WHO in Syria provides assistance (financial and technical) to over 40 health-related programmes in the country.WHO collaboration will be directed to the following strategic directions;

·Supporting the implementation of the National Five Year Plan.
·Health promotion and protection.
·Primary Health Care.
·Emergency preparedness of response (including meeting the health care needs of displaced Iraqi’s).

For detailed information on the work of the WHO globally see www.who.int.
For more information on their regional work in the Eastern Mediterranean region, see www.emro.who.int
For more information on Syria office see WWW.emro.who.int/syria

For detailed information on the work of the WHO globally see www.who.int. For more information on their regional work in the Eastern Mediterranean region, see www.emro.who.int For more information on Syria office see WWW.emro.who.int/syria

World Health Organization
Meissat El Jisr Elabiad, behind the Syrian Commercial Bank, Branch 16, 6th Floor Damascus, Syria P.O Box: 3946 Telephone: +963 11 3329315 or +963 11 3315053 or +963 11 3316226 Fax: +963 11 3330289 Email: wrosyr@syr.emro.who.int