For 75 years, WHO has been dedicated to enhancing people’s health and well-being. This commitment encompasses two primary objectives: ensuring widespread access to good healthcare and actively preventing and combating of disease. Switzerland is a founding member of WHO and hosts its headquarters in Geneva.
For 75 years, WHO has been dedicated to enhancing people’s health and well-being. This commitment encompasses two primary objectives: ensuring widespread access to good healthcare and actively preventing and combating of disease. These goals align closely with Switzerland’s national interest.
Switzerland has earned a distinguished position within WHO, leveraging its exceptional healthcare system, world-class research institutes, and innovative pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology sector to make significant contribution to global health.
As a full member, Switzerland participates in the World Health Assembly (WHA) exercising its voting rights alongside the other 193 member states. Together with like-minded countries, Switzerland actively advocates for its national interests. The WHA, as the WHO’s supreme decision-making body is responsible for determining the organisation’s policies, appointing the WHO's Director-General, overseeing financial matters, and reviewing and approving the proposed programme budgets. Switzerland is represented on the WHO Executive Board from May 2023 to May 2026.
The role of WHO
WHO is the leading multilateral health agency within the United Nations. According to its Constitution, WHO's mission is to guide international public health activities, help shape health research, establish standards and criteria, make policy recommendations based on evidence, provide technical assistance to countries, and monitor and evaluate trends in public health.
As a sovereign Member State, it is up to Switzerland to decide whether or not to adopt changes to existing regulations and to sign and ratify new instruments. WHO cannot impose measures on its Member States.
Pandemic follow-up processes
Amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR)
The International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) govern international cooperation to prevent the cross-border spread of infectious diseases. The original IHR were adopted in 1969. They have since been modified on numerous occasions, with the most recent comprehensive revision conducted in 2005. Switzerland has been a party to the IHR since they first came into effect in 1951. Switzerland actively participated in the negotiations on the amendments to to IGA (2005) and represented its interests.
International Health Regulations (IHR) (admin.ch)
WHO pandemic agreement
Switzerland is participating in the discussions on a new agreement on pandemic preparedness and response. The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the importance of good international cooperation, coordination, and close knowledge sharing in international health crises. The outcome of the negotiations on the WHO pandemic agreement will be submitted to the 78th World Health Assembly in May 2025 at the latest.
WHO pandemic agreement (admin.ch)
Global Health and Peace Initiative
Together with Oman, Switzerland supports the Global Health and Peace Initiative (GHPI), which benefits fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable regions. It focuses, for example, on protecting hospitals, ensuring universal access to healthcare facilities, training doctors and nurses to work in difficult conditions, and providing psychological support to young people who have experienced violence.
Programs have been developed in close collaboration with ministries and other partners and are currently running in a number of countries, including Colombia, Somalia and the Central African Republic. They aim to strengthen universal health coverage and to contribute to peace outcomes.
Geneva as international health capital
Switzerland supports the presence of WHO in Geneva by providing the organization with an advantageous loan for the construction of a new building and the renovation of its current headquarters.
The WHO Regional Office for Europe
The WHO Regional Office for Europe is one of six WHO Regional Offices around the world and serves the WHO European Region, which includes 53 countries. It supports its Member States and collaborates with a range of partners to improve the well-being and health of nearly 900 million people in the region.
The Standing Committee of the Regional Committee (SCRC) is a subcommittee of the WHO Europe Regional Committee. It acts on behalf of the Regional Committee and ensures that the decisions and policies of the Committee are implemented. Switzerland was a member of the SCRC of the WHO Regional Office for Europe from 2019 to 2022.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What purpose does Switzerland's membership of WHO serve?
How can Switzerland contribute to the WHO?
Pandemic follow-up processes are currently underway at WHO. What are they about?
Can WHO impose changes on Switzerland?
Could the WHO pandemic convention pave the way for a global vaccination certificate?
For 75 years, WHO has been dedicated to enhancing people’s health and well-being. This commitment encompasses two primary objectives: ensuring widespread access to good healthcare and actively preventing and combating of disease. These goals align closely with Switzerland’s national interest.
The recent pandemic highlighted the importance of international collaboration, coordination and knowledge-sharing in transboundary health emergencies. This calls for binding rules and a multilateral forum like WHO.
Switzerland has earned a distinguished position within WHO, leveraging its exceptional healthcare system, world-class research institutes, and innovative pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology sector to make significant contribution to global health.
As a full member, Switzerland actively participates in the World Health Assembly (WHA) exercising its voting rights alongside the other 193 member states. Together with like-minded countries, Switzerland effectively advocates for its national interests. The WHA, as the WHO’s supreme decision-making body is responsible for determining the organisation’s policies, appointing the Director-General, overseeing financial matters, and reviewing and approving the proposed programme budgets.
Switzerland has been elected as member to the WHO Executive Board (EB) for the period May 2023 to May 2026. This appointment further enhances Switzerland's ability to influence global health policy, as the EB plays a crucial role in advising the WHA and implementing its decisions.
Firstly, amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) have been adopted by consensus at the WHA on 1 June 2024. The IHR govern international cooperation for the control of infectious diseases and include aspects such as monitoring and reporting systems for these diseases. The amendments to these regulations that were adopted shall strengthen the early detection and monitoring systems, among other things.
International Health Regulations (IHR) (admin.ch)
Secondly, Switzerland is participating in the negotations for a new agreement on pandemic preparedness and response. The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the importance of having measures that are well-coordinated internationally.
No. As a sovereign state, Switzerland will continue to take its own decisions on health policy, which is based on its Federal Constitution and the laws passed by Parliament.
Switzerland will only decide whether to agree to the WHO pandemic agreement that is currently under negotiation when the negotiations have come to an end and its contents and legal nature are known. WHO cannot impose measures on its Member States.
In the ongoing negotiations it is not foreseen that the agreement contains requirements for international vaccination certificates. The specifications for an international vaccination certificate are provided for in Article 36 and the Annexes 6 and 7 of the International Health Regulations (2005) which are already in force (IHR: SR 8.818.103). WHO cannot dictate what measures individual countries would have to take during a pandemic. The responsibility for health policy remains with Member States. As a sovereign country, Switzerland will continue to make its own decisions about any measures.
Last modification 06.08.2024
Contact
Federal Office of Public Health FOPH
International Affairs Division
Global Health Section
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Switzerland
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