WHO Youth Council

WHO Youth Council

Young people should be at the heart of decisions that impact their lives and health. WHO wants to support the engagement of young people and their participation in addressing key global health priorities. 

WHO has therefore established the WHO Youth Council, that includes youth representatives of health and non-health organizations and movements. The Youth Council is a dynamic network that will amplify the voices and experiences of young people, and leverage their expertise, energy and ideas to promote public health. The Youth Council will provide advice to and actively engage with the WHO Director-General and WHO Senior Leadership. It will serve as a platform for designing and incubating new initiatives and for expanding existing youth engagement initiatives of WHO. 

Through the Youth Council, WHO seeks to deliver on sustained, meaningful youth engagement and will prioritize the co-development of an inclusive WHO Youth Engagement Strategy. 

Meet WHO Youth Council Secretariat and Members
Terms of Reference of WHO Youth Council

WHO Youth Council Working Groups

Youth Council Working Group on Health, Education and Literacy

The Health, Education and Literacy Working Group envisions to influence health education resources developed by WHO through meaningful youth engagement. Through advice to the WHO Secretariat and collaborating with some of its key departments, the WG wants to achieve its key objectives of enhancing health literacy, advancing education on crucial health issues, particularly among young healthcare learners and workers, and encouraging youth participation in global health governance. 

Some of the focus areas identified by the working group for this year are Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), and Mental Health. The working group will work towards making the information and tools required to promote health, education, and literacy more young-people friendly.

       

Youth Council Working Group on Accessibility and Equity

The purpose of the Working Group on Accessibility and Equity is to advocate for and advance inclusive, equitable, and accessible healthcare systems that address the needs of all individuals, particularly marginalized and vulnerable populations. Recognizing that accessibility goes beyond Universal Health Care (UHC), this Working Group works to identify and dismantle structural, financial, and systemic barriers that limit access to healthcare.

Through policy advocacy and youth engagement this Working Group seeks to ensure that young people are active contributors to shaping global health policies and decision-making processes. The group focuses on addressing inequities faced by people with disabilities, racialized communities, migrants, refugees, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and other underserved populations, while also tackling broader determinants of health such as digital access, economic disparities, and governance transparency. 

This Working Group is committed to developing strategies, engaging in high-level health forums, and mobilizing youth networks to promote sustainable, inclusive health systems. By fostering meaningful youth participation and advocating for concrete policy changes, the Working Group strives to create a future where health is recognized (not only in law, but in practice) as a fundamental human right, and accessibility and equity are embedded in all aspects of global health governance and practice.

       

Youth Council Working Group on Planetary Health

The WHO Youth Council’s Planetary Health Working Group serves as a platform for young changemakers to mobilize action and contribute to shaping the global planetary health and One Health agenda. Dedicated to addressing the interconnected challenge of the crisis of climate change, pollution and human health, this working group brings together young leaders, health professionals, and advocates to champion policies that integrate environmental and health considerations into the global health agenda. These young leaders will seek to drive change by collaborating with WHO and global partners to drive youth-led solutions for climate resilience and environmental health through knowledge sharing, capacity building, advocacy and campaigns.

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