The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts to serve as members of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) – Regulatory Measures Aimed at Restricting the Digital Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. 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 Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly requested that the Director General develop guidance for Member States on regulatory measures aimed at restricting the digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes, so as to ensure that existing and new regulations designed to implement the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant Health Assembly resolutions adequately address digital marketing practices’. (A75/66: P6)
The Guidance will locate digital marketing for the promotion of BMS within the broader contexts of implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and addressing the harmful effects of digital marketing of products of concern to public health.
The Guidance will provide recommendations for addressing gaps in the application of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (including relevant subsequent resolutions) to digital marketing ensure that these practices cannot evade measures designed to protect the general public, mothers, and health professionals from advertising and other forms of promotion of products within the scope of the Code. The Guidance will include recommendations for strengthening enforcement, developing effective monitoring systems, and regulating cross-border marketing.
This document will recommend regulatory actions and provide guidance for effective regulation of digital marketing for the promotion of breast-milk substitutes.
Functions of the Technical Advisory Group –Regulatory Measures Aimed at Restricting the Digital Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
The TAG will provide technical, legal, policy, and implementation advice and expertise to inform the development of Guidance to Member States on regulatory measures aimed at restricting the digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes, including across social media and other digital platforms. This will include timely review of draft content and contribution (where appropriate) to the development of WHO technical products (reports, implementation guidance) as required.
Operations of the Technical Advisory Group – Regulatory Measures Aimed at Restricting the Digital Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
The TAG will convene on a virtual meeting platform (such as zoom or MS teams) for at least one hour each month. TAG members must be able to commit to attending scheduled meetings and reviewing documents between meetings. Meetings and review requirements will be scheduled in advance. In addition, members may be asked to engage in ad-hoc technical discussions by email or short conference calls.
Specific terms of reference and time commitment required will be specified so that members have a clear understanding of the time commitment involved.
Who can express interest?
The Technical Advisory Group – Regulatory Measures Aimed at Restricting the Digital Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes will be multidisciplinary, with members who have a range of technical knowledge, skills and experience relevant to implementing and enforcing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes in social media and other digital platforms. People with interdisciplinary expertise will be particularly valuable to the TAG and are encouraged to apply. Approximately 15 experts may be invited to participate.
WHO welcomes expressions of interest from academics and practitioners with relevant expertise in the following domains:
- Consumer protection policy and regulation for public health
- Digital marketing strategy and practices
- Marketing communication/consumer psychology/behaviour change communication
- National implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
- Multi-lateral trade agreements, regulations and enforcement
- Monitoring of digital communications
- Enforcement of regulatory measures governing digital marketing content and practices
- Ethics, equity, human rights and gender considerations in regulation to protect public health
Submitting your expression of interest
To register your interest in being considered for the Technical Advisory Group- Regulatory Measures Aimed at Restricting the Digital Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, please submit the following documents by 30 September 2022 at 24:00, Geneva time (CEST) to NFS@who.int using the subject line “2022/August/73 - Expression of interest for the Technical Advisory Group on BMS”:
- 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, please do not use the letterhead or other identification of your employer;
- A curriculum vitae that describes relevant skills, expertise, and experience you can bring to the TAG; and
- A signed and completed Declaration of Interests (DOI) form for WHO Experts, available here.
After submission, your expression of interest will be reviewed by WHO and selected individuals will be invited to participate in the TAG. WHO expects to complete the selection process no later than 30 October 2022. 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. 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 NFS@who.int using the subject line “2022/August/73 - Expression of interest for the Technical Advisory Group on BMS”: well before the applicable deadline.