On May 28, during the 143rd session of the Executive Board (EB143) of the World Health Organization (WHO), Brazil was elected to occupy the presidency of the Council, the governing body of the Organization, in the period of 2018/2019. The country did not occupy that position since 1961. The position will be exercised by the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Maria Nazareth Farani de Azevêdo.

Brazil has played a leading and leading role in the Organization, especially in the defense of universal access to medicines and health services. In the exercise of the presidency of the Executive Council, Brazil will have the opportunity to coordinate the multilateral discussion of the main health issues in line with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The WHO, which has existed since 1948, has as its mission to raise the health and welfare standards of the world population, coordinating international efforts for the prevention, control and treatment of diseases, overseeing the exchange of epidemiological information among member countries and conducting research in various fields of the health area.

The Executive Board of WHO is composed of 34 members, elected from among the members of the Organization, for three-year terms. Brazil holds a mandate in the Council in the 2017-2020 triennium. At the annual meeting in January, the members of the Council will deliberate on the agenda and the issues to be discussed by all 194 members of WHO at the World Health Assembly, held in May.