INTERPOL and WHO sign a cooperation agreement on health and security threats

16 October 2026

INTERPOL and the World Health Organization signed a cooperation agreement to tackle threats at the intersection of public health and security. The joint news release was issued from Geneva and Lyon. The agreement establishes a framework to combine INTERPOL's law enforcement expertise with WHO's public health leadership to prevent, detect and respond to risks worldwide. It focuses on exceptional situations needing coordinated health and security action, including incidents involving the suspected misuse of chemical or radioactive materials and unusual biological events, whether naturally occurring, accidental or deliberate. The two organizations will also coordinate around major international events and mass gatherings. A second area is tackling the trafficking of persons for the purpose of organ removal and the illegal trade in human organs, tissues and cells. The agreement further addresses illicit production and trade in goods affecting public health, including falsified medical products such as medicines, vaccines and medical devices, counterfeit personal protective equipment, unsafe or fraudulently labelled food and drink, and illegally produced alcohol. Cooperation will also support implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza and WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus were quoted in the release. INTERPOL has 196 member countries and WHO works in 150 or more locations.