UN Efforts for Global Health: Instituting Innovations for Improvement (Features‪)‬

The global community has long understood the importance of public health to world prosperity, security, and cooperation. The World Health Organization (WHO) was established in 1948 as the first specialized agency of the United Nations. Its constitution established its mandate "to promote and protect the health of all peoples ... without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition." Over the course of the last several decades, together with the United Nations Children's Fund, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and other specialized UN agencies, WHO activities paved the way to reduce childhood mortality by almost 60 percent globally. The world has eradicated smallpox, and polio has been reduced by 99 percent. Scientific and technical discoveries have helped increase life expectancy, have afforded women the opportunity to plan and space their children, and have improved the quality of life for millions. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]