The collaboration between Spain and the World Health Organization (WHO) in the area of transplantation goes back to 2003 and then an agreement was signed in December 2005 between the Spanish Ministry of Health and Consumers Affairs and WHO, to officially collaborate in the human cell, tissue and organ transplantation programme. The agreement is renewed every two years.

The implementers of this agreement are on the Spanish side, the National Organization of Transplants (ONT) and for WHO, the Clinical Procedures Unit in the Department of Essential Health Technologies, (EHT/CPR):

The goals of the agreement are broadly defined as follows:

i)                   collaborating in the implementation of the World Health Assembly Resolution WHA57.18 concerning Human organ and tissue transplantation;

ii)                 collaborating in cell, tissue and organ transplantation activities to improve the safety, quality, efficacy of  and access to transplants;

iii)               setting up  a network of national health authorities; and

iv)               developing the Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation (GODT) website and the global database on donation and transplantation.

In February 2008, the ONT became a WHO Collaborating Centre, providing the necessary technical support to develop and maintain the collaborating programme.