Issued on: Monday, 7 April 2025
Deadline: Monday, 5 May 2025
The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts to serve as members of the Health-Security Interface Technical Advisory Group (HSI-TAG). This “Call for experts” provides information about the advisory group, the expert profiles being sought, the process to express interest, and the process of selection.
Background
World Health Organization has worked at the intersection of health and security since its inception[1]. Within the mandates conferred upon WHO by the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), as well as resolutions WHA55.16 (2002) and WHA74.7 (2021), WHO has an important role to play in the global public health response, including to events involving the deliberate use of biological and chemical agents that affect health. WHO is a recognized contributor to inter alia the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA)[2] and the United Nations Biorisk Working Group (UN-BRWG)[3].
The concept of Health-Security Interface (HSI) pertains to those public health activities the performance of which involves to some extent the security sector broadly understood e.g., international and non-governmental organizations, civil defense, military health personnel, law enforcement and armed forces, defense-related research programs and other entities with a security relevant mandate. Activities at this interface may include protection of health from traditional chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats and new and emerging threats. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for a coordinated response that integrates public health measures with security operations. This includes ensuring that health policies are effectively communicated and enforced, and that security forces are prepared to support public health initiatives.
Within the framework of WHO Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW14)[4], HSI contributes to the following strategic objectives: Prevent, mitigate and prepare for risks to health from all hazards, and rapidly detect and sustain an effective response to all health emergencies. In achieving the GPW overarching goal to protect the health and well-being of all, the implementation of public health work in coordination with the security sector will be increasingly important in the response to all global health security risks, whether they are natural, accidental, or deliberate.
In 2018, Health-Security Interface project was initiated under the World Health Organization Emergencies (WHE) Programme to strengthen its all-hazard approach, particularly to develop WHO internal readiness in the event of deliberate outbreaks and to address growing needs of international coordination with the security partners. It was deemed crucial for WHO to establish an advisory function for the Health-Security Interface to discuss with and receive advise from a broad range of geographically diverse multidisciplinary experts with specialized technical knowledge and experience that connects health and security sectors. To the effect, Health-Security Interface Technical Advisory Group (HSI-TAG) was convened for the first time in March 2019.
The HSI-TAG will play a critical role in providing advice and recommendations to WHO and as a vehicle for information sharing among relevant actors, through the WHE programme, with the aim to advise WHO on inter-agency coordination, cooperation in this specific area and leadership in the UN system and among partner international organizations.
Reflecting the evolving and emerging needs of the Organization, the terms of reference of HSI-TAG were updated in March 2022 with full compliance to the new standards set by the organization.
Functions of the HSI-TAG
In its capacity as an advisory body to WHO, the HSI-TAG shall have the following functions:
- To identify gaps, vulnerabilities, challenges, and opportunities within the health-security interface,
- To provide WHO with the technical and scientific advice relevant to the health-security interface and the work of the BSP unit,
- To advise WHO on a platform for information sharing, with the WHO’s international and other partners from health and security sectors.
The duration of one serving term will be three years and a member can serve for maximum two terms.
Secretariat
WHO shall provide the secretariat for the HSI-TAG, including necessary scientific, technical, administrative and other support. In this regard, the WHO Secretariat shall provide the members in advance of each meeting with the agenda, working documents and discussion papers. Distribution of the aforesaid documents to Observers or Temporary Advisers will be determined by the WHO Secretariat. The meeting agenda is prepared by WHO and shall include any subject within the Terms of Reference of the HSI-TAG, as appropriate. It shall include details such as: whether a meeting, or part thereof, is closed or open; and whether Observers are permitted to attend.
Operations of the HSI-TAG
1. The HSI-TAG shall normally meet at least once each year. However, WHO may convene additional meetings. HSI-TAG meetings may be held in person (at WHO headquarters in Geneva or another location, as determined by WHO) or virtually, via video or teleconference. HSI-TAG meetings may be held in open and/or closed session, as decided by the Chairperson in consultation with WHO.
- (a) 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).
- (b) Closed sessions: The sessions dealing with the formulation of recommendations and/or advice to WHO shall be restricted to the members of the HSI-TAG and essential WHO Secretariat staff.
2. The quorum for HSI-TAG meetings shall be two thirds of the members.
3. 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 HSI-TAG 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 HSI-TAG.
4. The HSI-TAG may decide to establish smaller working groups (sub-groups of the HSI-TAG) 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 HSI-TAG for review at one of its meetings.
5. HSI-TAG members are expected to attend meetings. If a member misses two consecutive meetings, WHO may end his/her appointment as a member of the HSI-TAG.
6. A yearly report shall be submitted by the HSI-TAG to the Assistant Director-General Preparedness Division, WHO Emergency Programme. All recommendations from the HSI-TAG 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 HSI-TAG.
7. The HSI-TAG 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.
8. Active participation is expected from all HSI-TAG members, including in working groups, teleconferences, and interaction over email. TAG members may, in advance of HSI-TAG meetings, be requested to review meeting documentation and to provide their views for consideration by the HSI-TAG.
9. WHO shall determine the modes of communication by the HSI-TAG, including between WHO and the HSI-TAG members, and the HSI-TAG members among themselves.
10. HSI-TAG members shall not speak on behalf of, or represent, the HSI-TAG or WHO to any third party.
Who can express interest?
The HSI-TAG is multidisciplinary, with members who have a range of technical knowledge, skills and experience relevant to the Health-Security Interface. Up to 20 members may be selected.
WHO welcomes expressions of interest from individuals with expertise in one or more of the following technical disciplines among others:
- public health management of deliberate events (planning and operational experience desirable);
- public health intelligence;
- epidemiology;
- toxicology;
- infectious diseases;
- analytical genomics/synthetic biology/virology/emerging biotechnologies and associated topics;
- biosafety & biosecurity;
- law enforcement and public health (LEPH);
- sampling & analysis, chain of custody, logistics & equipment, mental health/psychology;
- information and data assurance/health security consequences of infodemics; disinformation and cyber-threats;
- risk communication and community engagement (RCCE);
- international law and governance;
- foresight/futurology;
- mass gathering;
- bioterrorism experts (knowledge on pathogens of security concern, their microbiological characterization and application/modification for weaponization, diagnostics, countermeasures and containment measures);
- decision/policy makers with hands-on experience dealing with significant deliberate event(s) (biological/chemical) response at the local, regional, or national level.
Additionally, expertise not listed above that could contribute to the Health-Security Interface area of work is welcome as far as justified in the cover letter.
Submitting your expression of interest
To register your interest in being considered for the HSI-TAG, please submit the following documents by Monday, 5 May 2025 24:00 (midnight) Geneva time to BSP@who.int using the subject line “Expression of interest for the HSI-TAG”:
- 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; specifying your area of expertise and if not listed above, please explain how yours can contribute to strengthen health-security interface; 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 an 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 an 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 BSP@who.int well before the applicable deadline.
[1] https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution
[2] Global Health Security Agenda - Global Health Security Agenda
[3] http://unicri.it/sites/default/files/2021-12/01_facing.pdf