The World Health Organization (WHO) has convened the historic first Global Forum of Collaborating Centres—one of the world’s largest and most diverse public health networks—bringing together representatives from over 800 institutions designated as WHO Collaborating Centres (CCs) across more than 80 countries.

At the meeting, scientists highlighted the health threats emerging in today’s fragmented world—challenges that not only create an urgent need for action but also open new opportunities to mobilize efforts toward better health solutions. The Forum concluded today with a renewed sense of commitment across the broad network, moving beyond rigid scientific projects toward more dynamic and integrated partnerships.

Rooted in one of WHO’s core constitutional functions, the Collaborating Centres network has enhanced the Organization’s scientific foundations since its earliest years. In 1949, the Second World Health Assembly affirmed that WHO should advance health research not by creating its own institutions, but by coordinating, supporting, and leveraging existing expertise across the world.