World Health Organization (WHO)

For 75 years now, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been dedicated to protecting and promoting human health and well-being. This includes providing as many people as possible with access to good healthcare and preventing and combating disease. Switzerland is a founder member of WHO and is home to its headquarters in Geneva.

Switzerland is a well-respected member of WHO. And with its outstanding healthcare system, its world-leading research institutes and its innovative pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology sectors, the country makes a significant contribution to strengthening the world’s healthcare provision.

As a full WHO member, Switzerland participates in the World Health Assembly (WHA) alongside the other 193 WHO member states, actively representing its interests and concerns together with like-minded countries. The WHA is WHO’s supreme decision-making body: it determines the organisation’s policies, appoints the WHO Director-General, oversees financial policy and reviews and approves proposed programme budgets. Switzerland currently sits on the WHO Executive Board, in a term of office which extends from May 2023 to May 2026.

The role of WHO

WHO is the leading multilateral health agency within the United Nations. As is defined in its constitution, the mission of WHO is to:

• guide international public health activities
• help shape health research and establish standards and criteria
• make evidence-based policy recommendations
• provide countries with technical assistance and support and
• monitor and evaluate current trends in public health.

As a sovereign WHO member state, Switzerland may decide for itself whether to adopt changes to existing WHO regulations and whether to sign and ratify new WHO instruments. WHO may not impose any of its measures on its member states.

The WHO Regional Office for Europe

The WHO Regional Office for Europe in Copenhagen (Denmark) is one of six WHO Regional Offices worldwide, and is responsible for WHO’s European Region, which comprises 53 countries. The Office supports the WHO member states under its care and collaborates with a range of partners to improve the health of the region’s almost 900 million people.

The Standing Committee of the Regional Committee (SCRC) is a subcommittee of WHO’s Regional Committee for Europe. The SCRC acts on the Regional Committee’s behalf and ensures that the Regional Committee’s resolutions are duly acted upon. Switzerland was a member of the SCRC from 2019 to 2022.

Further information: WHO/Europe | Home

WHO Country Cooperation Strategy Switzerland 2024-2028

The WHO Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) for Switzerland lays the foundation for all collaborations between Switzerland and WHO. The CCS establishes the partners’ shared priorities and defines the key guidelines and parameters for their effective collaboration. For the various parties within Switzerland which work with WHO, and also for WHO itself, the CCS is intended to combine, focus and align their shared and common commitment at all levels.

Further information: WHO Country Cooperation Strategy, Switzerland 2024–2028

Pandemic follow-up processes

Amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005)

The International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) govern the collaborations which are designed to help prevent the cross-border spread of infectious diseases. Switzerland has been a signatory to the International Health Regulations since they first came into effect in 1951.

The WHO World Health Assembly approved amendments to IHR 2005 by consensus on 1 June 2024. Switzerland had played an active part in the preceding negotiations, in which it had duly represented its interests and concerns. The Swiss Federal Council approved the new IHR 2005 on 20 June 2025, and the amended regulations entered into effect for Switzerland on 19 September 2025.

Further information: International Health Regulations (IHR) (admin.ch)

The WHO Pandemic Agreement

The text of the new WHO Pandemic Agreement was approved by the WHO member states at the 78^th World Health Assembly (WHA) on 20 May 2025. The Agreement is available in the six official languages of the United Nations.

The work on the Pandemic Agreement is not yet completed. Negotiations are presently under way on an annex to the same, which will form an integral part of the overall Agreement. The prime content of this annex will be a mechanism for ensuring pathogen access and benefit sharing (PABS). Only when this annex has been finalised and approved by a future WHA will the full Pandemic Agreement be complete and ready for signature. Current estimates suggest that this will take another one to two years.

Further information: The WHO Pandemic Agreement (admin.ch)

The WHO Global Health and Peace Initiative

Switzerland was instrumental in the launch of the WHO Global Health and Peace Initiative (GHPI), together with Oman. The GHPI provides assistance and support to fragile, vulnerable and conflict-affected regions in areas such as:

• protecting hospitals
• giving all people access to healthcare facilities
• training doctors and other caregivers to work under challenging conditions and
• providing young people who have seen or suffered violence with psychological support.

Corresponding programmes have been devised and developed in close collaboration with national ministries and further partners. These are presently being offered in a number of countries including Afghanistan, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Colombia, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen. The programmes are intended to help promote universal healthcare provision and, in doing so, also contribute to the peace process.

Further information: The Global Health and Peace Initiative (GHPI) (who.int) (EN).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• What purpose does Switzerland's membership of WHO serve?

  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.
  
  

• How can Switzerland contribute to the 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.
  

• Pandemic follow-up processes are currently underway at WHO. What are they about?

  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.
  

  WHO pandemic agreement (admin.ch)
  
  

• Can WHO impose changes on Switzerland?

  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.
  
  

• Could the WHO pandemic convention pave the way for a global vaccination certificate?

  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.
  

Further information

• Links

  WHO - Homepage

  WHO - Constitution of the World Health Organisation

  WHO - Europe

  WHO - Global Health and Peace Initiative (GHPI)

Further topics