Deadline: 3 November 2023
The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts to serve as members of a Technical Advisory Group on Social Connection. 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
Social connection is the foundation of well-functioning societies, economies, communities, and families. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated this beyond doubt.
Social isolation and loneliness – which reflect deficits in social connections – affect people of all age groups and have serious consequences for mortality, physical and mental health (including suicide risk), and well-being. For instance, social isolation and loneliness are associated with 25-33% increased risk of mortality and are now widely considered to be risk factors for mortality which are as important as obesity, lack of physical activity, smoking, other forms of substance abuse, and poor access to health care.
In addition, the quality of social connections within communities – for instance, in schools, workplaces, and neighbourhoods – is directly related to the safety, prosperity and governance of the wider society. There is also mounting evidence that the dimension of social connection captured by the concept of “social capital” – i.e. social networks and the associated norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness – fosters social and economic development and innovation within societies.
Building on the increased awareness and policy priority of social connection, amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the political opportunity that the UN Decade on Healthy Ageing 2021–2030 presents, WHO has decided to step up its work on this issue. It aims to increase the political visibility and priority of the issue; to reposition it as a genuine global public health problem that affects all regions around the world and all age groups; and to scale up cost-effective solutions adapted to low-, middle-, and high-income countries.
A Technical Advisory Group on Social Connection (TAG-SC), composed of up to 20 experts, will act as an advisory body to the WHO Secretariat on the issue of social connection and its impact on health and society. This is a complex and multi-faceted issue, which involves many sectors, is studied by multiple disciplines, and is replete with ongoing methodological and substantive controversies.
Functions of the Technical Advisory Group on Social Connection
The TAG-SC has no executive or regulatory function. Its role is solely to provide advice and recommendations, including on urgent matters as needed.
In its capacity as an advisory body to the WHO, the TAG-SC shall provide technical advice to WHO on the issue of social connection in the following areas:
- Increasing the political visibility and priority of the issue of social connection by identifying the determinants of such visibility and priority and the mechanisms that can be used to reposition the issue as a genuine global public health problem that affects all regions around the world and all age groups;
- The technical content to be developed by WHO on social connection;
- Measurement and, more specifically, the development of a Global Index on Social Connection and its implementation in as many countries as possible, including advising on the constructs to be measured; the instruments, scales, and items to measure them; existing data sources that can be used; modes of data collection; and methods of analysis, including methods for arriving at global, regional, and national estimates;
- Mapping and identification of effective interventions to promote social connection and reduce social isolation and loneliness that can be the basis for scaling up interventions in countries; and
- Communication science in this area, in particular how to most effectively frame and represent the issue using different media, including social media.
Operations of the Technical Advisory Group on Social Connection
The TAG-SC will be expected to meet approximately two to three times a year, once or twice virtually and once in person at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, usually for 1 or 2 days each time. The TAG-SC can also establish smaller working groups (“sub-groups” of the TAG-SC) to work on specific issues. Their deliberations shall take place virtually. For these sub-groups, no quorum requirement will apply. The outcome of their deliberations will be submitted to the TAG-SC for review at one of its meetings. The working language of the group will be English.
Who can express interest?
The TAG-SC will be multidisciplinary, with members who have a range of technical knowledge, skills and experience relevant to the fields of social connection, social isolation, and loneliness. Up to 20 members will be selected.
WHO welcomes expressions of interest from scientists, academics, policy-makers, practitioners, and communications and advocacy specialists with global expertise in the following areas:
1. All scientific aspects of social connection, social isolation, and loneliness including, for instance:
- Conceptualization and measurement (including cross-cultural measurement and the development of global indices);
- Estimates of prevalence and time trends;
- Impact on health, well-being, and on social and economic development;
- Drivers and risk and protective factors;
- Interventions to address these issues (from national policies and laws to one-to-one psychological interventions) including their cost and cost-effectiveness and implementation (i.e. implementation science);
- Evidence synthesis, the use of evidence as a global good, and knowledge translation related to social connection; and
- Communications science – including research on social media – in relation to social connection.
2. The development and implementation of policies, strategies, action plans, etc. at national, regional, and global level to address social connection, social isolation, and loneliness;
3. Communications and advocacy strategies – including the optimal framing of the issue and national, regional, or global campaigns – targeting social connection, social isolation, and loneliness;
4. The creation of national, regional, and global networks, alliances, coalitions etc. addressing social connection, social isolation and loneliness.
Submitting your expression of interest
To register your interest in being considered for the TAG-SC, please send the following documents by e-mail to Dr Daniel Surkalim (surkalimd@who.int) by 23:59 CET on 3 November 2023 (Friday):
- 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) – such as the TAG-SC – 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, 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, typically 2 years.
If you have any questions about this “Call for experts”, please write to surkalimd@who.int – well before the applicable deadline.