Overview

• WHO Collaborating Centres(CC’s) are institutions, research institutes, universities, or academies, which are designated by the Director-General of the WHO to carry out activities in support of the WHO’s programmes.
• Currently, more than 800 WHO collaborating centres in over 80 countries working with the WHO on areas such as nursing, occupational health, communicable diseases, nutrition, mental health, chronic diseases and health technologies.
• WHO Collaborating Centres are an essential and cost-effective cooperation mechanism, which enables the WHO to fulfill its mandated activities and to harness resources far exceeding its own.
• Conversely, designation as a WHO collaborating centre provides institutions with enhanced visibility and recognition by national authorities, calling public attention to the health issues.

Function and Role

• The main functions of the WHO CC are collection, collation, and dissemination of information, as well as participation in collaborative research developed under the WHO’s leadership, including the planning, conducting, monitoring, and evaluation of research.
• The main role of the WHO CC is to provide strategic support to the WHO to meet two main needs: Implementing WHO’s mandated work, programme objectives, and strengthening institutional capacity in countries and regions.