The WHO/Europe Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) is an independent advisory body established under the Second European Programme of Work 2026–2030 (EPW2) to support WHO/Europe’s ambition of making technical excellence the foundation of its future-proofing.

Launched on 6 July 2026, the Board is composed of twelve members drawn from a broad range of scientific disciplines and professional backgrounds. Members serve in their personal capacity for a two-year term.

The SAB advises the Regional Director on scientific and methodological matters. Its focus is not on individual diseases or products, but on strengthening WHO/Europe’s scientific governance and how it generates, assesses, synthesizes and translates evidence into policy-relevant guidance and action. The Board provides advice on methodological rigor, evidence quality and transparency. It helps identify critical knowledge gaps, strengthen evidence-to-policy translation, and anticipate emerging developments in how evidence is generated, synthesized, communicated and used.

As a key instrument for delivering EPW2, the SAB contributes to WHO/Europe’s ambition of remaining a trusted regional knowledge hub for health, grounded in the principles of science, solidarity and equity.