Serial number: 2022/December/85
Issued on: 15 December 2022
Deadline: 20 January 2023
The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts to serve as members of the currently functional South-East Asia Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (SEAR-ITAG). Through this current effort, WHO is seeking to fill some openings in the SEAR-ITAG as well as aims to develop a roster of candidates for future openings. 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 SEAR-ITAG is a regional immunization technical expert advisory group that is already established by the WHO Regional Director and has been providing advice on all aspects of immunization, vaccines and vaccine preventable disease prevention, control, elimination and eradication in the South-East Asia Region of WHO.
Functions of the South-East Asia Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group
- In its capacity as an advisory body to WHO, the SEAR-ITAG shall have the following functions:
- To review the regional and national immunization policies, strategies and plans for the control, elimination and/or eradication of vaccine preventable diseases, especially for polio eradication, measles & rubella elimination, and maternal & neonatal tetanus elimination;
- To provide guidance for setting regional immunization priorities for immunization and vaccines;
- To make recommendations on the framework for development of national immunization policies as well as operational aspects of their implementation, including the framework and approaches to periodic evaluation and strengthening of routine immunization services and systems;
- To provide advice on the appropriate choices of new vaccines, and recommend optimal strategies for their introduction, including technical guidance for monitoring and impact evaluation of new vaccines once introduced into national immunization programmes.
- To promote and provide technical guidance for the implementation of high-quality vaccine preventable disease surveillance, including laboratory networks for surveillance;
- To provide advice on regulatory requirements to ensure quality and safety of vaccines used in national immunization programme;
- To provide guidance on public private partnerships;
- To identify and advise on appropriate implementation research topics in immunization and vaccines, and review the conduct and the results of such research projects.
Who can express interest?
The SEAR Immunization Technical Advisory Group is multidisciplinary, with members who have a range of technical knowledge, skills and experience relevant to disciplines such as immunization programme management, communicable disease/vaccine preventable diseases control, virology, epidemiology, immunology, public health, clinical practice (infectious diseases, pediatrics, internal medicine, etc), vaccine regulations, health systems, health communication, vaccine research & development & vaccine safety. Individuals with expertise in these areas may express interest. Preference is given to experts from countries within the South-East Asia Region (Bangladesh, Bhutan, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste). However, a limited number of experts from outside of the Region will also be considered.
Submitting your expression of interest
To register your interest for being considered as a member of the “South-East Asia Immunization Technical Advisory Group”, please submit the following documents by 20 January 2023, 4.30 pm (IST) to sharmapo@who.int using the subject line “Expression of interest for the SEAR-ITAG":
- A cover letter, indicating briefly 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 a 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 a 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 sharmapo@who.int well before the applicable deadline.