Background
In many countries, air pollution is the most important environmental determinant of health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 7 million premature deaths are attributed annually to the effects of ambient and household air pollution (1). Evidence on the risks related to air pollution is a fundamental part of the assistance provided by WHO to enable its Member States to address environmental determinants of health.
As part of the World Health Assembly resolution on “Health and the environment: addressing the health impact of air pollution” adopted in 2015 (WHA68.18) and the resulting “Road Map for an enhanced global response to the adverse health effects of air pollution” as it was agreed by the World Health Assembly in 2016 (WHA69), the WHO Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health (ECH) aims to address the urgent public health need to respond to the effects associated with air pollution. Key activities include informing policymakers and the broad public on the extent of population exposure to and health impacts from poor air quality – indoor and outdoor- and strengthening the health sector with knowledge and tools to engage with other sectors and respond to air pollution-related health effects. These activities also support the implementation of the Global Plan of Action on noncommunicable diseases, in addressing childhood pneumonia, and in guiding sustainable development and climate change policies to promote and protect public health.
The World Health Assembly resolution (WHA61.19) on climate change an health and the recently adopted WHO Global Strategy on Health, Environment and Climate Change (WHA72(9)), recognise the close relation between air pollution and climate change and that failure to tackle air pollution and to mitigate climate change together result in a lost opportunity to gain the health, economic and environmental multiple co-benefits that would derive from more efficient transport and energy systems, a low-carbon economy, and healthier food systems with less impact on the environment. As such, key activities to protect health from air pollution and climate risks should include the strengthening of evidence on the health gains of climate action. It is also recognised that a diverse set of stakeholders should be engaged in developing evidence-based approaches to addressing air pollution and climate change in which public health interest is paramount.
Since 2014, WHO has been regularly convening expert meetings through the "Global Platform on Air Quality and Health" as a mechanism to facilitate the harmonization of data pertaining to air pollution and health. The Global Platform’s aim was to strengthen countries’ capacity to address air pollution and related health risks as well as harness the most up-to-date methods and resources and tools to derive robust and up-to-date estimates of population exposure to fine particulate matter and its health effects. As a natural step towards the formalization of this initiative, the creation of a Global Air Pollution and Health Technical Advisory Group (GAPH-TAG) will ensure more focused effort that is more aligned with WHO’s rules and regulations for engagements with Non-State Actors. Activities envisaged for the GAPH-TAG include the review of the data and methods for the update of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Indicators related to air pollution for which WHO is the custodial agency (3.9.1 mortality from air pollution, 7.1.2 access to clean household energy and 11.6.2 air quality levels) as well as the interventions and responses the health sector can provide to protect health and reduce emissions. In recognition of the growing field of research on the public health gains of climate change mitigation and the importance of this evidence to catalyse global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the GAPH-TAG shall also contribute to the review, evaluation and strengthening of methods in this area of research. The GAPH-TAG will provide guidance and recommendations to global and national efforts to assess health considerations in climate mitigation policies, particularly with respect to raising ambition in nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and supporting their implementation.
Objective of the call
The objective of the call is to identify qualified experts who are willing to serve as members of the technical advisory group (TAG) to work on the further development of activities related to health impacts assessments, evidence-based interventions for air pollution and health co-benefits of climate change mitigation. More specifically, the following four –not mutually exclusive – streams of work will be open for expression of interest, within the following sub-groups of the TAG:
1- Health impact assessment, including three working groups looking more specifically at:
- exposure assessment (both ambient and household),
- health outcomes and exposure-response functions, and
- methodologies for source -specific burden of disease
2- Desert dust and health
3- Interventions/Policies/Responses
4- Climate change and air pollution
Experts will commit:
- To review and further advise WHO on the methodologies and data input to assess population exposures to specific air pollutants (in relation to SDG 7.1.2 and 11.6.2);
- To review epidemiological data (both health outcomes and exposure response functions) for next update of SDG 3.9.1 (Mortality from air pollution);
- To advise WHO methodologies on source-specific attribution for burden of disease assessment
- To support WHO’s activities related to desert dust, such as assessing human exposure to and related health impact, reviewing the evidence on the impact of desert dust on health; and explore further developments on good practices to reduce health impact from sand and dust storms;
- To review, evaluate and select criteria for cost-effective air pollution and health interventions and policies and provide synthesis and guidance also for the identification of indicators of policy monitoring and what can be agreed good practices and ‘best-buys’.
- To support WHO’s activities in assessing the health and economic implications (benefits and harms) of climate mitigation policies that also impact ambient and household air pollution, reviewing and synthesizing evidence, and developing, guidance and tools to support integrated air pollution and climate policies.
Experts can apply to one or more stream of work, which will be divided in sub groups of the TAG or Expert Working Groups (EWG). Specific expertise is required for the different EWGs, as highlighted in blue below:
EWG1: Expert working group on health impact assessment; EWG2: Expert working group on desert dust and health; EWG3: Expert working group on interventions and policies; EWG4: Expert working group on climate change and air
pollution
Application
Interested applicants are invited to fill out the online application form and submit a CV (no more than 10 pages in A4 format), filled Declaration of Interest (DoI), and a list of publications, no later than 15 February 2021 (CET). An applicant shall be made available by his or her employer for engaging in this WHO work and be released for regular teleconferences with the group and one international meeting per year.
Criteria and process for selection of experts
The criteria for the selection of experts are the basic and essential qualifications together with the proven competence and expertise in the various areas as described above. The curriculum vitae of the applicants will be reviewed on the basis of the criteria listed above by a selection panel of three or more individuals as well as the WHO Scientific Advisory Group on Air Pollution and Health. The purpose of the panel review is to determine whether the applicants meet all the essential requirements. The highly qualified individuals selected from the applicants will be used by WHO to invite experts to meetings and/or expert consultations. In selecting experts, consideration will also be given, in addition to scientific and technical excellence, diversity and complementarities of scientific backgrounds, representation from all geographic regions including developing and developed countries as well as gender and real, potential or apparent conflict of interests.
About 20 experts will be selected with this process, but all applications will be kept for the next two years and may be considered for being part of an external review group.
Appointment of experts
Experts will be selected in their individual capacity on the basis of their expert knowledge to give advice on specific topics for a period of two years, renewable for another term. The term "personal capacity" means that the expert is expressly expected to serve in his/her capacity as an independent expert rather than a representative of his or her employer. The views of the independent expert would not necessarily be reflective of any views and positions of his or her employer. All experts will be required to complete a Declarations of Interest form before participation in any expert meetings can be confirmed.
Experts do not receive any remuneration from the Organization. However, when attending meetings by invitation of WHO, they shall be entitled, in accordance with the administrative regulations of the Organization, to reimbursement of travelling expenses and to a daily living allowance during such meetings.
Applications should be submitted by 15 February 2021 to:
WHO focal points
Sophie Gumy and Tara Neville
Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health
World Health Organization
Email: air_meetings@who.int
(1) 9 out of 10 people worldwide breathe polluted air, but more countries are taking action.