Health Metrics Network Governance
HMN Board
The Health Metrics Network (HMN) Board is the highest coordinating and decision-making body for the Network. In line with best practice principles , it has broad representation and a strong developing country voice (see section 8) below. Names of Board members and designated alternates are publicly available on the HMN website.
Functions
The Board’s primary functions relate to strategy and accountability for HMN. The Board:
- Approves the strategic vision, direction and policies of HMN.
- Reviews, approves and updates the collective objectives and milestones of HMN.
- Decides on the establishment of the HMN Technical Advisory Group (TAG), Independent Review Committee (IRC) and other HMN bodies as necessary.
- Appoints the Chairs and members of the TAG, IRC, and other bodies it may establish.
- Provides strategic guidance on developing the harmonized framework and standards for country health information system (HIS) development (the HMN Framework and Standards to Develop Country Health Information Systems); and approves resource commitments to grants based on the recommendations of the IRC.
- Approves work plans and budgets of the HMN, including those of its Secretariat.
- Makes recommendations to the host organization (WHO) on the appointment of the Executive Secretary.
- Promotes alignment of HMN partners around health information strategies, methodologies and approaches.
- Notes and monitors commitments of HMN partners to undertake specific agreed strategies and activities.
- Contributes, through its members, to resource mobilization and advocacy activities.
- Shares information and knowledge on areas of relevance/impact to HMN activities and objectives.
Responsibilities of HMN Board members
HMN Board members serve in their personal capacities as well as representatives of broad stakeholder groups. Consideration of eligible nominees for selection as Board members is therefore based on criteria covering both organizational and individual factors.
Core responsibilities of Board members are:
- To make an active and effective contribution to the Board’s collective performance of its functions, including regular attendance at meetings.
- As a partner/stakeholder on the Board, to assure a high level of representation, including:
- Maintaining close liaison between HMN and the partner/stakeholder, including mutual exchange of ideas, issues and concerns.
- Advocating for HMN and sharing information and knowledge within the partner/stakeholder.
- Fostering partner/stakeholder participation in activities designed to secure HMN's strategic objectives.
On the lead of the Chair, the Board will itself periodically review performance of these responsibilities.
Board composition
Board membership comprises key stakeholders in health information, including health and statistical experts, developing countries, technical and development partners and funding agencies. The composition will be kept under review by the Board in the light of evolving needs. The Board will continuously strive to assure an appropriate balance by country/region, recipients/funders and gender. In the interest of manageability, membership is limited to 17-20 persons. Board membership is publicly available on the HMN website.
The Board will keep its composition under review in the light of evolving needs. In so doing, the Board will seek to draw on advice from the Partner Forum and will ensure broad representation and a strong developing country voice in line with agreed best practice principles for governance of global health partnerships .
Board members will normally have a three-year term of office that will be renewable once. Terms of office for Board representatives will be staggered to ensure an appropriate balance of continuity and representativeness in Board membership.
Once a year, or more frequently should that be necessary due to unanticipated withdrawal of members, the Board will review its membership and take actions deemed necessary to maintain an appropriate composition and balance as described above. Board members are required to inform the Board of any changes in their professional affiliation that could create imbalances in stakeholder representation and Board composition. In such cases, the Board will determine whether to extend the membership of the individual or not.
In light of vacancies arising, the HMN Secretariat, in consultation with the Consultation Committee and with other HMN Partners as appropriate, will propose to the Board for its consideration, a suitable number (perhaps two to three per vacant position) of potential candidates for these seats. The Board will consider and approve a set of candidates for Board membership, and specify the order in which they should be contacted and invited to join. At the Chair's discretion, this may be accomplished during an in camera session to preserve confidentiality. The Secretariat will subsequently contact the nominees, inviting those who agree to serve to join the Board to the following Board meeting.
The HMN hosting agency will be a continuing, non-rotational member of the Board. The Executive Secretary and the Chair of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) are non-voting, ex officio members of the Board with the right to speak on all Board items but not to vote. The Chair of the IRC will be invited to attend as necessary to report on IRC recommendations.