Fifty-three countries and a Regional Director: how the WHO European Region is organised

Background

The World Health Organization works through six regions, and the European Region is the one that has just adopted its healthy ageing strategy. That region comprises 53 countries, which stretch from Portugal in the west to Central Asia in the east, so it is far wider than the European Union. Its Regional Director is Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge. The region's governance has two parts. The Regional Committee is the annual meeting of all 53 member states, where strategies are adopted and members are elected to other bodies. Between those annual sessions, a smaller Standing Committee of member states guides the region's work and prepares the agenda. The Regional Committee also nominates countries for seats on the WHO Executive Board, which are then confirmed at the World Health Assembly.