1. World Health Organization (WHO):
The specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to international public health, established on 7th April 1948 (celebrated globally as World Health Day), with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Major Objectives & Functions of WHO:
• Eradication and Control of Epidemic Diseases: Successfully spearheaded the worldwide eradication of smallpox (certified in 1980), near-complete eradication of wild poliovirus, and coordinates global responses to pandemics (SARS, COVID-19, Ebola).
• Setting International Health Standards: Establishes international purity standards for biological medicines, vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and potable drinking water.
• Maternal and Child Healthcare: Programs promoting neonatal immunization, safe motherhood, and combating global infant malnutrition.
• Dissemination of Epidemiological Data: Publishes weekly epidemiological surveillance bulletins and health statistical yearbooks to alert nations about transmissible disease outbreaks.
2. The International Red Cross Society:
Founded in 1863 by Swiss humanitarian Jean Henri Dunant following the Battle of Solferino. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland. Emblem: A Red Cross on a white background (in Islamic nations: Red Crescent; in Israel: Red Crystal).
- Core Humanitarian Functions:
• Providing immediate, neutral humanitarian medical relief and surgical aid to wounded soldiers, prisoners of war, and civilian casualties during armed international conflicts, strictly without political, racial, or religious prejudice.
• Organizing disaster relief operations during natural catastrophes (earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, famines, hurricanes), dispatching medical teams, emergency field hospitals, blankets, and food rations.
• Operating nationwide voluntary blood donation banks and emergency civil defense first-aid training.
• Tracing missing persons and facilitating family reunifications separated by armed conflict or natural disasters.