The WHO Barcelona Office is a centre of excellence in health financing for universal health coverage (UHC). It works with Member States in Europe and central Asia to promote evidence-informed policy-making. It also offers training courses in health financing.

A key part of the work of the Office is to assess country and regional progress towards UHC by monitoring affordable access to health care (i.e., financial protection). Financial protection is a core dimension of health system performance, an indicator for the Sustainable Development Goals, part of the European Pillar of Social Rights, and central to the European Programme of Work, the WHO European Region’s strategic framework. The Office supports countries to strengthen financial protection through tailored technical assistance, including analysis of country-specific policy options, high-level policy dialogue and the sharing of international experience.

The Office disseminates country-specific and internationally comparable data and policy analysis through UHC watch, a digital platform tracking progress on affordable access to health care in Europe and central Asia.

Established in 1999, the Office is supported by the Government of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Spain. It is part of the Division of Country Health Policies and Systems of WHO/Europe.

Contact us

WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing
Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site (La Mercè pavilion)
Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 167
08025 Barcelona, Spain
Tel.: +34 675 788 902
Email: eubar@who.int