Validation process & tools

In 2014, WHO released the first edition of the Global guidance on criteria and processes for validation: elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and syphilis. In 2015, the Global Validation Advisory Committee for EMTCT was established. Since then, Member States have been able to apply for, and be validated for, achieving EMTCT of HIV and/or syphilis, to a level where it is no longer a public health threat. In alignment with the framework for Triple Elimination, WHO published updated guidance in 2021 which incorporated criteria and processes for validation of EMTCT of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Now Member States are able to apply for validation of Triple Elimination of MTCT of HIV, syphilis and HBV.

WHO oversees the validation secretariat in collaboration with United Nations partners from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). All WHO regions have established validation structures to support the process. At the global level, the Global Validation Advisory Committee (GVAC) reviews the evidence provided in validation reports and gives independent advice to WHO on whether a country has met the criteria to be validated.