WHO collaborating centres are institutions that form an international collaborative network carrying out activities to support WHO’s programmes at all levels. The fundamental logic is to utilize the inherent expertise in a WHO collaborating centre for the benefit of all Member States.
Typically, such centres are divisions of national research institutes; departments of universities, laboratories, hospitals or health ministries; or national institutions such as academies.
Today, the most common technical areas among collaborating centres are health-system research and development, health promotion and education, health information, statistics and measurement, policy research and development, and mental health.
Through the global network of collaborating centres, WHO gains access to top institutions worldwide that can support its work and ensure the scientific validity of global health work. In turn, the collaborating centres receive greater visibility and recognition by national authorities, and attract more public attention to the health issues that they address.
Collaborating centres also have increased opportunities to exchange information and develop technical cooperation with other institutions, particularly at the international level. The benefits of these partnerships also extend to Member States in the form of direct country impact.
This report presents an analysis based on feedback from responsible officers working at the WHO Regional Office for Europe and WHO headquarters regarding...
Disaggregated data specific to WHO collaborating centres in the WHO European Region were collected from a larger global evaluation conducted by the WHO...
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All →Collaborating centres in the European Region
The WHO Collaborating Centres Database is the official source of information about the WHO collaborating centres regionally and worldwide
Collaborating centres
(WHO Global site)
Guide for WHO Collaborating Centres
Information for WHO collaborating centres
provides information on terms and conditions as well as useful documentation for existing WHO collaborating centres or proposed institutions
WHO's engagement with non-State actors
Evaluation of WHO’s work with Collaborating Centres, Volume 1: Report