Essential public health functions (EPHFs) have been recognized as a core component of the primary health care approach and are central to an integrated, comprehensive, sustainable and cost-effective approach to enhancing individual and population health and reducing the burden of disease, as articulated in the Declaration of Astana on Primary Health Care and in various World Health Assembly and regional committee resolutions. However, their application to meeting population health needs has remained obscure. This document presents a technical reference package to support comprehensive operationalization of public health using the EPHFs and describes a step-by-step approach to their application, including a number of case examples.