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Programme management

Thirteenth General Programme of Work, 2019−2023  

Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13) is based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is relevant to all countries – low, middle and high income. Health is fundamental to the SDGs and, in an interconnected world, WHO’s role in providing global public goods that help to ensure health for all people within and across national boundaries has never been more relevant.

WHO’s unique status as a science- and evidence-based organization that sets globally applicable norms and standards makes it vital in a rapidly changing world. WHO has the potential to dramatically improve the health of our world over the coming five years. The purpose of this GPW 13 is to seize this opportunity.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development views health as vital for the future of our world. With a commitment to achieve Goal 3, which calls on all stakeholders to “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages,” WHO will lead a transformative agenda that supports countries in reaching all health-related SDG targets.

GPW 13 sets out WHO’s strategic direction, outlines how the Organization will proceed with its implementation and provides a framework to measure progress in this effort. GPW 13 will guide for each biennium stepwise progress in strategic priorities, the development of implementation plans, the programme budget, results frameworks and operational plans. It has taken account of the strategic plans of WHO regional offices and has been developed in collaboration with the Regional Directors. GPW 13 will cover the period 2019−2023 and will serve as the basis for resource mobilization and for the programme budgets for the bienniums 2020−2021 and 2022−2023. It will also influence the Programme budget 2018−2019 through resource reallocation within the Director-General’s existing authority for 2019.

Programme budget web portal