Who we are

The World Health Organization is the United Nations Specialized agency for health established on 7 April 1948. WHO was one of the first United Nations agencies in Sri Lanka (1952) and over sixty years on, WHO remains a steadfast intergovernmental organization committed to supporting the people of the country to attain the highest level of health through the strengthening of the health system on the principles of equity, fairness and responsiveness with emphasis on the poor and marginalized.

Our goal

"To support the people of the country to attain the highest level of health through strengthening of the health system on the principles of equity, fairness and responsiveness with emphasis on the poor and marginalized."

Our core functions

• Providing leadership on matters critical to health and engaging in partnerships where joint action is needed
• Shaping the research agenda and stimulating the generation, translation and dissemination of valuable knowledge
• Setting norms and standards, and promoting and monitoring their implementation
• Articulating ethical and evidence-based policy options
• Providing technical support, catalysing change, and building sustainable institutional capacity
• Monitoring the health situation and assessing health trends