WHO Country Office
WHO
The role of the WHO country office in Czechia is to advance the public health agenda, responding to requests from the host country to support policy-making for sustainable health development, taking a holistic health-system approach. This includes:
- advocating across sectors for improving health and well-being;
- advising and working with the Czech government to develop sustainable and effective health policies;
- making available and supporting the implementation of WHO norms and standards;
- monitoring progress towards the achievement of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals;
- building up partnerships to implement the biannual collaborative agreements with the host country;
- ensuring that public health measures are coordinated and in place during crises.
The WHO country office was established in Prague in 1992 to assist Czechia in achieving its main public health priorities and to engage the country in global public health. The country office was upgraded in 2018, with the addition of an internationally recruited WHO representative. The country team currently consists of 2 staff members and is expected to expand in the coming years. It collaborates closely with other United Nations and multilateral agencies in Czechia, namely the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The priorities for the Country Office are set out in the Biennial Plan of Cooperation between WHO/Europe and Czechia. The Office implements the plan in close collaboration with national institutions and international partner agencies.
