The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts to serve as members one of the Advisory Group on the Governance of the Private Sector for UHC. 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 Technical Advisory Group on the Governance of the Private Sector for UHC (“the TAG-GPSUHC”) will act as an advisory body to WHO, through the Department of Health Governance and Financing (HGF), on questions related to governance and regulatory arrangements for managing private sector service delivery for UHC (and the health workforce and health financing issues related to the private sector service delivery).
The Advisory Group (the “AG”) will act as an advisory body to WHO in this field.
Functions of the Technical Advisory Group on the Governance of the Private Sector for UHC
In its capacity as an advisory body to WHO, the AG shall have the following functions:
- To provide advice to WHO on the Organization’s work program and areas of research priority on this topic;
- To provide advice and recommendations to WHO on the regulation and engagement with the private sector in health in the context of the WHO GPW13 goal of 1 billion more people benefiting from Universal Health Coverage (and in particular outcome 1.1.4 of this goal - “Countries enabled to ensure effective health governance”);
- To provide inputs to WHO on guidance documents prepared by HGF to guide the efforts of WHO Member States to strengthen effective health governance of the private sector in health for the achievement of UHC.
Operations of the Technical Advisory Group on the Governance of the Private Sector for UHC
- The AG shall normally meet at least once each year. However, WHO may convene additional meetings. AG meetings may be held in person (at WHO headquarters in Geneva or another location, as determined by WHO) or virtually, via video or teleconference.
AG meetings may be held in open and/or closed session, as decided by the Chairperson in consultation with WHO.- Open sessions: Open sessions shall be convened for the sole purpose of the exchange of non-confidential information and views and may be attended by Observers (as defined in paragraph III.3 below).
- Closed sessions: The sessions dealing with the formulation of recommendations and/or advice to WHO shall be restricted to the members of the AG and essential WHO Secretariat staff.
- The quorum for AG meetings shall be two thirds of the members.
- WHO may, at its sole discretion, invite external individuals from time to time to attend the open sessions of an advisory group, or parts thereof, as “observers”. Observers may be invited either in their personal capacity, or as representatives from a governmental institution / intergovernmental organization, or from a non-state actor. WHO will request observers invited in their personal capacity to complete a confidentiality undertaking and a declaration of interests form prior to attending a session of the advisory group. Invitations to observers attending as representatives from non-state actors will be subject to internal due diligence and conflict of interest considerations in accordance with FENSA. Observers invited as representatives may also be requested to complete a confidentiality undertaking. Observers shall normally attend meetings of the AG at their own expense and be responsible for making all arrangements in that regard.
- At the invitation of the Chairperson, observers may be asked to present their personal views and/or the policies of their organization. Observers will not participate in the process of adopting decisions and recommendations of the AG.
- The AG may decide to establish smaller working groups (sub-groups of the AG) to work on specific issues. Their deliberations shall take place via teleconference or videoconference. For these sub-groups, no quorum requirement will apply; the outcome of their deliberations will be submitted to the AG for review at one of its meetings.
- AG members are expected to attend meetings. If a member misses two consecutive meetings, WHO may end his/her appointment as a member of the AG.
- A yearly report shall be submitted by the AG to WHO (the Assistant Director-General of the responsible Cluster). All recommendations from the AG are advisory to WHO, who retains full control over any subsequent decisions or actions regarding any proposals, policy issues or other matters considered by the AG.
- The AG shall normally make recommendations by consensus. If, in exceptional circumstances, a consensus on a particular issue cannot be reached, minority opinions will be reflected in the meeting report.
- Active participation is expected from all AG members, including in working groups, teleconferences, and interaction over email. AG members may, in advance of AG meetings, be requested to review meeting documentation and to provide their views for consideration by the AG.
- WHO shall determine the modes of communication by the AG, including between WHO and the AG members, and the AG members among themselves.
- AG members shall not speak on behalf of, or represent, the AG or WHO to any third party.
Who can express interest?
The Technical Advisory Group on the Governance of the Private Sector for UHC will be multidisciplinary, with members who have a range of technical knowledge, skills and experience relevant to the governance of the private sector in health to achieve UHC. Expertise on private sector engagement in the field of digital health, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) and Primary Health Care (PHC) is especially valuable. Approximately up to 15 members may be selected.
WHO welcomes expressions of interest from:
Academics, Public health experts, Scientists with expertise in one or more of the following areas:- Health Systems Governance;
- Governance of the private sector in Health;
- Public and Global Health;
- Ethics, equity, human rights and gender in public health;
- Engagement with the private sector for Digital Health;
- Engagement with the private sector for Primary Health Care;
- Engagement with the private sector for Maternal and Newborn Child Health;
- Program Implementation and evaluation;
- State capacities.
Submitting your expression of interest
To register your interest in being considered for the [name of the advisory group], please submit the following documents by Friday 29th July 2022 24:00h (midnight) Geneva time to clarked@who.int using the subject line “Expression of interest for the Technical Advisory Group on the Governance of the Private Sector for UHC”:
- A cover letter, indicating 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 David Clarke, clarked@who.int well before the applicable deadline.