The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts to serve as members of the Strategic and technical advisory group of experts on well-being and health promotion (STAGE-WELHPR). This “Call for experts” provides information about the advisory group in question, the expert profiles being sought, the process to express interest, and the process of selection.
Background
The COVID-19 has brought into sharp focus that health of people and planetary are deeply entwinned and cannot be disentangled. Complex and interrelated global challenges - a global pandemic, escalating geopolitical conflicts, economic downturns, natural disasters, increasing rates of noncommunicable diseases and mental health and structural inequities are calling for a transformative approach to public health to build more resilience and sustainability. A growing global movement towards “well-being” is calling for a shift towards economy of well-being, social protection, and individual well-being as well as protection of the environment and the planet.
The STAGE-WELHPR is a global independent expert advisory group that will systematically review evidence and experiences, and will provide strategic guidance with a focus on triggering country impact. The group will advise WHO on ensuring coordinated global leadership and stakeholder accountability and accelerate the transformation of public health systems towards a well-being approach based on the strategic directions of the Global framework on integrating well-being into public health.
Functions of the STAGE-WELHPR
The core function of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group of Experts (STAGE) would be to provide strategic foresights and inputs into the monitoring and implementation frameworks for integrating well-being into public health.
The Advisory Group (the “AG”) will act as an advisory body to WHO in this field.
In its capacity as an advisory body to WHO, the AG shall have the following functions:
- To provide independent review and make recommendations to WHO on broad priority interventions to steer global and national public health agenda towards a well-being approach;
- To recommend to WHO mechanisms for mainstreaming well-being into WHO agendas for primary health care and universal health coverage based on contexts and country capacities;
- To suggest strategies and policies to integrate well-being into public health interventions; and advise WHO on priority intervention packages and delivery approaches based on existing experiences, resources from WHO and relevant international entities;
- To review and make recommendations to WHO on strategies to ensure greater commitments and accountability of non-health sectors;
- To review and make recommendations to WHO on strategies to enhance national capacities and investment for health promotion based on context and using innovative delivery approaches;
- To advise WHO on strategies to improve the effective coverage and quality of implementation of WHO-recommended intervention packages and delivery approaches;
- To advise WHO on key indicators to be considered for measuring well-being at country level.
The AG shall have up to 30 members, who shall serve in their personal capacities to represent the broad range of disciplines relevant to health systems development, health promotion, well-being, planetary health, digital health, health measurement and statisticians, economists, socio-anthropologists, welfare, health in all policies, mental health.
Operations of the STAGE-WELHPR
The AG shall meet at least once each year. However, WHO may convene additional meetings. AG meetings may be held in person (at WHO headquarters in Geneva or another location, as determined by WHO) or virtually, via video or teleconference. The working language of the group will be English.
- The AG shall normally meet at least once each year. However, WHO may convene additional meetings. AG meetings may be held in person (at WHO headquarters in Geneva or another location, as determined by WHO) or virtually, via video or teleconference.AG meetings may be held in open and/or closed session, as decided by the Chairperson in consultation with WHO.
(a) Open sessions: Open sessions shall be convened for the sole purpose of the exchange of non-confidential information and views, and may be attended by Observers (as defined in paragraph III.3 below).
(b) Closed sessions: The sessions dealing with the formulation of recommendations and/or advice to WHO shall be restricted to the members of the AG and essential WHO Secretariat staff.
- The quorum for AG meetings shall be two thirds of the members.
- WHO may, at its sole discretion, invite external individuals from time to time to attend the open sessions of an advisory group, or parts thereof, as “observers”. Observers may be invited either in their personal capacity, or as representatives from a governmental institution / intergovernmental organization, or from a non-state actor. WHO will request observers invited in their personal capacity to complete a confidentiality undertaking and a declaration of interests form prior to attending a session of the advisory group. Invitations to observers attending as representatives from non-state actors will be subject to internal due diligence and conflict of interest considerations in accordance with FENSA. Observers invited as representatives may also be requested to complete a confidentiality undertaking. Observers shall normally attend meetings of the AG at their own expense and be responsible for making all arrangements in that regard. At the invitation of the Chairperson, observers may be asked to present their personal views and/or the policies of their organization. Observers will not participate in the process of adopting decisions and recommendations of the AG.
- The AG may decide to establish smaller working groups (sub-groups of the AG) to work on specific issues. Their deliberations shall take place via teleconference or video-conference. For these sub-groups, no quorum requirement will apply; the outcome of their deliberations will be submitted to the AG for review at one of its meetings.
- AG members are expected to attend meetings. If a member misses two consecutive meetings, WHO may end his/her appointment as a member of the AG.
- Reports of each meeting shall be submitted by the AG to WHO (the Assistant Director-General of the responsible Cluster). All recommendations from the AG are advisory to WHO, who retains full control over any subsequent decisions or actions regarding any proposals, policy issues or other matters considered by the AG.
- The AG shall normally make recommendations by consensus. If, in exceptional circumstances, a consensus on a particular issue cannot be reached, minority opinions will be reflected in the meeting report.
- AG members may, in advance of AG meetings, be requested to review meeting documentation and to provide their views for consideration by the AG.
- WHO shall determine the modes of communication by the AG, including between WHO and the AG members, and the AG members among themselves.
- AG members shall not speak on behalf of, or represent, the AG or WHO to any third party.
Who can express interest?
The STAGE-WELHPR will be multidisciplinary, with members who have a range of technical knowledge, skills, and experience relevant to health systems development, health promotion, well-being, planetary health, digital health, health measurement and statisticians, economists, socio-anthropologists, welfare, health in all policies, mental health. Approximately 30 members may be selected.
WHO welcomes expressions of interest from scientists, public health and healthcare professionals with expertise in the following areas:
- Health systems development;
- Health promotion;
- Well-being;
- Planetary health;
- Digital health;
- Health measurement and statisticians;
- Economists;
- Socio-anthropologists;
- Social welfare;
- Good governance for health and well-being;
- Mental health and well-being; and/or
- Ethics, equity, human rights and gender in public health.
Submitting your expression of interest
To register your interest in being considered for the STAGE-WELHPR, please submit the following documents by 20 September 2024 24:00h (midnight) Geneva time to [email protected] using the subject line “Expression of interest for the STAGE-WELHPR:
- A cover letter, indicating your motivation to apply and how you satisfy the selection criteria. Please note that, if selected, membership will be in a personal capacity. Therefore do not use the letterhead or other identification of your employer);
- Your curriculum vitae; and
- A signed and completed Declaration of Interests (DOI) form for WHO Experts, available at https://www.who.int/about/ethics/declarations-of-interest.
After submission, your expression of interest will be reviewed by WHO. Due to an expected high volume of interest, only selected individuals will be informed.
Important information about the selection processes and conditions of appointment
Members of WHO advisory groups (AGs) must be free of any real, potential or apparent conflicts of interest. To this end, applicants are required to complete the WHO Declaration of Interests for WHO Experts, and the selection as a member of an AG is, amongst other things, dependent on WHO determining that there is no conflict of interest or that any identified conflicts could be appropriately managed (in addition to WHO’s evaluation of an applicant’s experience, expertise and motivation and other criteria).
All AG members will serve in their individual expert capacity and shall not represent any governments, any commercial industries or entities, any research, academic or civil society organizations, or any other bodies, entities, institutions or organizations. They are expected to fully comply with the Code of Conduct for WHO Experts ( https://www.who.int/about/ethics/declarations-of-interest). AG members will be expected to sign and return a completed confidentiality undertaking prior to the beginning of the first meeting.
At any point during the selection process, telephone interviews may be scheduled between an applicant and the WHO Secretariat to enable WHO to ask questions relating to the applicant’s experience and expertise and/or to assess whether the applicant meets the criteria for membership in the relevant AG.
The selection of members of the AGs will be made by WHO in its sole discretion, taking into account the following (non-exclusive) criteria: relevant technical expertise; experience in international and country policy work; communication skills; and ability to work constructively with people from different cultural backgrounds and orientations .The selection of AG members will also take account of the need for diverse perspectives from different regions, especially from low and middle-income countries, and for gender balance.
If selected by WHO, proposed members will be sent an invitation letter and a Memorandum of Agreement. Appointment as a member of an AG will be subject to the proposed member returning to WHO the countersigned copy of these two documents.
WHO reserves the right to accept or reject any expression of interest, to annul the open call process and reject all expressions of interest at any time without incurring any liability to the affected applicant or applicants and without any obligation to inform the affected applicant or applicants of the grounds for WHO's action. WHO may also decide, at any time, not to proceed with the establishment of the AG, disband an existing TAG or modify the work of the AG.
WHO shall not in any way be obliged to reveal, or discuss with any applicant, how an expression of interest was assessed, or to provide any other information relating to the evaluation/selection process or to state the reasons for not choosing a member.
WHO may publish the names and a short biography of the selected individuals on the WHO internet.
AG members will not be remunerated for their services in relation to the AG or otherwise. Travel and accommodation expenses of AG members to participate in AG meetings will be covered by WHO in accordance with its applicable policies, rules and procedures.
The appointment will be limited in time as indicated in the letter of appointment.
If you have any questions about this “Call for experts”, please write to [email protected] well before the applicable deadline.