Explained - WHO Collaborating Centres

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) convened the first Global Forum of Collaborating Centres, bringing together representatives from over 800 institutions designated as WHO Collaborating Centres (CCs) across more than 80 countries.

• Organised by WHO and held on the sidelines of the One Health Summit 2026, hosted by the government of France, the Forum provided a platform for dialogue, reflection, and forward-looking collaboration.

• At the meeting, scientists highlighted the health threats emerging in today’s fragmented world.

• The Forum concluded on April 9 with a renewed sense of commitment across the broad network, moving beyond rigid scientific projects toward more dynamic and integrated partnerships.

• The participants emphasized that strong international cooperation remains essential, particularly amid reductions in global health financing. 

• Coordinated global responses, collective investment and collaboration are critical in preventing local health crises from becoming global emergencies.

• WHO has announced the next Global Forum will be held in 2027 to further strengthen this historic collaborative platform.

What are WHO Collaborating Centres?

• WHO collaborating centres are institutions such as research institutes, parts of universities or academies, which are designated by the Director-General to carry out activities in support of the Organisation’s programmes. 

• The idea of using national institutions for international purposes dates back to the days of the League of Nations, when national laboratories were first designated as reference centres for the standardisation of biological products. 

• As soon as WHO was established, it appointed more reference centres, starting in 1947 with the World Influenza Centre in London for worldwide epidemiological surveillance.

• As early as 1949, the Second World Health Assembly laid down the policy (which has been constantly followed since) that the Organisation should not consider “the establishment, under its own auspices, of international research institutions” and the “research in the field of health is best advanced by assisting, coordinating and making use of the activities of existing institutions”.

• All WHO collaborating centres, irrespective of their type of work, have been designated under that policy, which has undoubtedly enhanced national participation in the Organisation's activities.

• In line with the WHO policy and strategy of technical cooperation, a WHO collaborating centre also participates in the strengthening of country resources, in terms of information, services, research and training, in support of national health development.

• Currently there are over 800 WHO Collaborating Centres in over 80 Member States working with WHO on areas such as nursing, occupational health, communicable diseases, nutrition, mental health, chronic diseases and health technologies.

• In India, there are 58 WHO Collaborating Centres spanning various disciplines of biomedicine and allied sciences.

Functions of WHO Collaborating Centres:

i) Collection, collation and dissemination of information.

ii) Standardisation of terminology and nomenclature, of technology, of diagnostic, therapeutic and prophylactic substances, and of methods and procedures.

iii) Development and application of appropriate technology.

iv) Provision of reference substances and other services.

v) Participation in collaborative research developed under the Organisation’s leadership, including the planning, conduct, monitoring and evaluation of research, as well as promotion of the application of the results of research.

vi) Training, including research training.

vii) The coordination of activities carried out by several institutions on a given subject.

• Over the past 77 years, the WHO Collaborating Centres network has expanded to include many of the world’s leading public health, academic, research, and technical institutions. 

• Today, it remains a powerful asset — strengthening WHO’s global norms and standards, supporting innovation, collaborative research and capacity building — helping turn scientific knowledge into life-saving action worldwide.

• The WHO Collaborating Centres are an essential and cost-effective cooperation mechanism, which enables the Organisation to fulfil its mandated activities and to harness resources far exceeding its own.