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WHO WE ARE

We Are an Independent Foundation That Is Unique in the Area of World Health

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As the WHO Foundation, our work supports the mission of the World Health Organization (WHO) and its implementing partners on the ground in achieving a world in which all people attain the highest possible standard of health and well-being.

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OUR VISION

The WHO Foundation shares the same vision as WHO: A world in which all people attain the highest possible level of health.

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OUR MISSION

To mobilize greater private capital and partnership to advance the mission of WHO, with a focus on positive impact on the people whose lives depend on WHO’s work; and on innovation to maximize the impact of the resources we invest.

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OUR CORE VALUES

The power and potential of the WHO Foundation comes from its people. We are mission and values-driven and hold ourselves accountable for aligning our actions with these values:

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BOARD

Prof. Dr. Thomas Zeltner

Prof. Dr. Thomas Zeltner

Founder and Chair of the Board

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Rebecca Enonchong

Rebecca Enonchong

Vice Chair of the Board

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Clare Akamanzi

Clare Akamanzi

Board member

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Bob Carter

Bob Carter

Board member

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Senait Fisseha, MD, JD

Senait Fisseha, MD, JD

Board member

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Dr. Silvia Gold

Dr. Silvia Gold

Board member

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Nahed Mohammed Taher, PhD

Nahed Mohammed Taher, PhD

Board member

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Prof. Thulisile

Prof. Thulisile "Thuli" Madonsela

Board member

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Raul Thomas

Raul Thomas

WHO Representative

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LEADERSHIP

Anil Soni

Anil Soni

Chief Executive Officer

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Emanuele Capobianco

Emanuele Capobianco

Chief Strategy & Impact Officer

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Eric Kostegan

Eric Kostegan

Chief Development Officer

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Geetha Tharmaratnam

Geetha Tharmaratnam

Chief Impact Investment Officer

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Regina Lewis

Regina Lewis

Chief Communications Officer

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THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION AND THE WHO FOUNDATION

Working Together for World Health

WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. It is the directing and coordinating authority on international health, and provides leadership on global environmental health matters, shapes the health research agenda, sets health norms and standards, articulates evidence-based policy options, provides technical support to countries, and monitors and assesses health trends. Whereas WHO has an incredible capacity, through its network of state and non-state partners, to act on impactful initiatives, there is only so much it can achieve with its limited resource base. Recognizing this, the WHO Foundation was created to support and complement WHO’s resource mobilization efforts while respecting the inter-governmental nature of WHO’s governance.

The WHO Foundation is a non-profit grant-making foundation that aims to strengthen world health by providing funding to address the most critical global health issues. Donors can now access and enrich global health in a way that was never possible before.

Partners on the ground benefit from greater resources, while working together enables us to identify projects with the most potential for success.

This unique collaboration between the coordinating world health body and donors brings new opportunities to create highly innovative collective solutions to global health issues.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General and Prof. Dr Thomas Zeltner, WHO Foundation Founder and Chair of the Board originally announced the launch of the WHO Foundation at the WHO Covid-19 press conference on May 27th, 2020. Both WHO and the WHO Foundation are headquartered in Geneva, but the Foundation is legally independent from WHO (created under Swiss Law Statutes). WHO and the Foundation are bound together by an Affiliation Agreement, also known as a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which defines how they interact.

“Health is a global public good, and I believe we can create a world in which everyone can live a healthy and productive life regardless of where they live. WHO is dedicated to this goal and the creation of the WHO Foundation is an opportunity for a seismic shift in global health, redoubling our efforts toward this goal.”

DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, WHO DIRECTOR-GENERAL
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