World Health Organisation (WHO)

CBM is in official relations with the World Health Organisation. We collaborate on many issues including:

Mental Health

CBM and the WHO's department for Community Mental Health have been collaborating for some years to improve access to services for persons with psychosocial disabilities in the poorest communities. CBM has collaborated with WHO on the development of the mhGAP Guidelines and the launch of WHO's Quality Rights Initiative.

Disability and rehabilitation

CBM has been collaborating for many years with the disability and rehabilitation team at the WHO in order to ensure the development of high quality global tools and standards to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities in the poorest communities.

Our collaboration has focused on the development, launch and roll-out of the CBR Guidelines, which is an ongoing process. CBM also supported the development of the first ever World Report on Disability, which was launched by WHO and the World Bank. CBM continues to work together with WHO to ensure that the World Report is disseminated and translated and leads to concrete improvements in national policies and programmes for persons with disabilities.

Prevention of blindness and deafness

CBM collaborates with WHO's unit for Prevention of Blindness and Deafness on many levels.

As a member of IAPB, CBM has collaborated with the WHO's Prevention of Blindness and Deafness unit in the elaboration and implementation of the WHO Global Action Plan to eliminate avoidable blindness.

With the support of CBM and a group of consortium partners, WHO employs Dr. Shelly Chadha to support the WHO's global work on prevention of hearing impairment.

CBM also works with WHO regional offices, in collaboration with IAPB, helping to plan prevention of blindness programmes and train health-workers who are working to eliminate avoidable blindness in the poorest communities.