This report affirms the foundational contributions the World Health Organization (WHO) has made in global health, including early efforts to frame violence as a public health concern. Building on this legacy, we argue that WHO is uniquely poised to lead on gun violence prevention by leveraging its public health mandate, convening power, and normative authority. WHO’s expertise and track record offer a vital opportunity to catalyse a renewed, multisectoral response to addressing firearm-related harm, prevention, and care.
Firearm violence is a global concern with far-reaching consequences on individuals and communities affected by firearm violence and burdened by firearm-related injuries, long-lasting trauma, deaths and prolonged grief. Firearm violence also has grave and costly consequences for the health care systems and health care providers who attend to those injured by guns and the bullets they discharge.
