World Health Day
Next: April 7, 2027
Here's to your health.
The story
Where it comes from
World Health Day marks 7 April 1948, when the Constitution of the World Health Organization came into force, once 26 UN member states had ratified it. The idea of a global health agency was first put forward at the 1945 San Francisco conference that founded the UN, by the Chinese diplomat Dr Szeming Sze together with Brazil's Dr Geraldo de Paula Souza. The first World Health Assembly, in 1948, called for a day to mark WHO's founding, and it has been held every 7 April since 1950.
How it's celebrated
Each year WHO chooses a theme from a priority area of public health, from mental health and the care of mothers and children to climate change, and uses the day to launch a longer campaign. Health ministries, hospitals, schools and community groups hold talks and events around it. It is also a good day for one small step of your own: a walk, a check-up you have been putting off, or a call to a friend who is unwell.
Did you know
- The opening words of WHO's Constitution, 'Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being', came from Dr Andrija Štampar of Yugoslavia, who went on to preside over the first World Health Assembly.
- The Constitution was signed in New York on 22 July 1946 in five equally authentic languages: Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
- When the first World Health Assembly opened in Geneva on 24 June 1948, 53 of WHO's 55 member states sent delegations.
Coming up next
- International Roma Day · April 8, 2027
- The Earliest Recorded Voice · April 9, 2027
- Siblings Day · April 10, 2027
- World Parkinson's Day · April 11, 2027
- International Day of Human Space Flight · April 12, 2027
- Songkran · April 13, 2027