The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts and end-users to serve as members of a WHO Technical Working Group (TWG) that will contribute to the development of WHO Global Standards for Quality of Care for Older People for 2-2.5 years, from July 2026 and end in the second quarter of 2028.
This call for experts provides information about the work to be undertaken, the role of the TWG, the expert profiles currently being sought, and the application and selection processes.
Background
Quality of care principles such as effectiveness, safety, people-centredness, equity, integration and timeliness are essential for better health outcomes, yet they are not consistently applied to the care of older people. As populations age, especially in low- and middle-income countries, major gaps remain in practice, despite WHO’s Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) approach, including fragmented services, weak coordination across health and social care, ageism, limited workforce capacity and inadequate support for carers.
WHO intends to develop Global Standards for Quality of Care for Older People to equip policymakers, health planners and health and care workers with a structured framework to strengthen the quality of person centered, integrated health services for older people, with attention to intrinsic capacity, functional ability, dignity, autonomy. This work complements the WHO Global Standards for Long-Term Care: whereas LTC standards address the structure and quality of long-term care systems, the quality of health services for older people focuses specifically on improving the effectiveness, safety, and person-centeredness (experience of care) of health-care delivery, particularly within primary health care approach.
As part of this project, WHO would like to establish a global TWG that will support WHO during the process.
Role of the Technical Working Group
In their capacity as expert advisers, the members of the TWG have the following functions:
advise on the scope, critical questions and methodology;
contribute to the methodology of needs assessment and landscape analysis to inform the guidance;
review and interpret findings from those analyses;
advise on the structure and content of the draft guidance;
review iterative drafts;
provide feedback on Delphi survey and pilot tests;
contribute to revision and peer review of the final document;
participate in online technical meetings twice per year.
The working language of the TWG will be English.
Who can express interest?
The TWG will be multidisciplinary, represent all WHO regions, have gender balance, and include members with a range of relevant technical knowledge, skills and experience, relevant to health care for older people, and healthy ageing. Approximately 20-25 people will be selected.
WHO welcomes expressions of interest from the following individuals.
End users of health care services
WHO particularly welcomes expressions of interest from older people and carers, whose lived experience is essential to the development of these standards.
Older people (age 60 years and older)
(unpaid) carers: family members, friends, or community members who provide care for older people without monetary reward.
quality of care standards, measurement and improvement;
primary health care;
person-centred integrated care for older people;
health systems governance, policy and service delivery;
human rights, ethics, equity including addressing ageism;
age-friendly environment, with focus on community support and health services;
support for carers;
competencies for geriatric medicine
digital health, health information systems, and monitoring.
Experience in low- and middle-income countries is highly desirable.
Submitting your expression of interest
To register your interest in being considered for the TWG, please submit a complete application package by 22 June 2026, 23:59 (UCT+2) to mncah@who.int, with the subject line "Expression of interest – WHO QoC Standards for Older People TWG".
You will need to send the following three documents.
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 (CV)
A completed Declaration of Interest (DOI) form for WHO Experts. The DOI form needs to be printed, signed, and scanned – electronic signatures are not accepted.
Your application will be reviewed by WHO. Due to an expected high volume of interest, only shortlisted individuals will be informed.
Important information about the selection processes
Members of WHO technical working group (TWG) must be free of any real, potential or apparent conflicts of interest. To this end, applicants are required to complete the WHO DOI for WHO Experts. In addition, the shortlisting by WHO of any individual for selection as a member of TWG is inter alia dependent on WHO determining that there is no conflict of interest or that any conflicts that are identified can be appropriately managed (in addition to WHO’s evaluation of such individual’s experience, expertise and motivation and other criteria).
All TWG 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. TWG Members will be expected to sign and return a complete 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 TWG.
The selection of members of the TWG will be based on the following criteria: technical expertise; experience in international and country policy work; communication skills (in English); and ability to work constructively with people from different cultural backgrounds and orientations. The selection of experts 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, the proposed members will be sent an invitation letter. Appointed TAG members will be published on the WHO website.
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 TWG, or disband an existing TWG.
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.
TWG Members will not be remunerated for their services in relation to the work or otherwise. The appointment will be limited in time and is expected to commence in July 2026 and end around the second quarter of 2028.
If you have any questions about this Call for experts, please write to mncah@who.int before 16 June 2026 (23:59 UCT+2).