The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially designated South Korea's Global Harmonization Centre (GHC) — hosted by the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation (NIFDS) under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) — as a new WHO collaborating centre focused on health products regulatory system strengthening and training. The move builds on nearly two decades of WHO-Korea collaboration and marks a significant step up in ambition.

The core problem the centre aims to tackle is stark: roughly 70% of WHO member states still lack well-functioning regulatory systems, and shortages of skilled regulatory professionals are especially acute in low- and middle-income countries. Add in rapid scientific innovation, globalized supply chains, and increasingly complex health products, and the pressure on regulatory agencies has never been greater.

Key Takeaways:

• The GHC will deliver structured, competency-based regulatory training to help countries build and sustain skilled regulatory workforces for medicines and vaccines.
• South Korea's MFDS is a WHO-Listed Authority, lending the centre strong international credibility.
• Stronger regulatory capacity directly supports universal health coverage by ensuring populations have access to safe, effective, and quality-assured health products.

Why it matters: When regulatory systems fall short, unsafe or substandard medicines and vaccines can reach patients — with potentially serious consequences. By scaling up training through a proven regulatory leader like South Korea, WHO is investing in the foundational infrastructure that keeps global health systems trustworthy and resilient.