Stakeholder engagement
Stakeholder engagement is at the heart of advancing global clinical trial ecosystems. By fostering partnerships, building networks, and promoting dialogue, the World Health Organization (WHO) works collaboratively with diverse stakeholders to implement the WHA75.8 resolution. From the Global Clinical Trials Forum (GCTF) to specialized partnerships and networks, these efforts are designed to address pressing global health challenges and create sustainable, high-quality clinical research ecosystem.
Join us in shaping the future of clinical trials — subscribe to the GCTF Newsletter, explore partnership opportunities, or delve into our networks and resources to learn how you can contribute to strengthening the global clinical trials landscape.
Global clinical trials forum (GCTF)
Global Clinical Trials Forum (GCTF) is a WHO managed network involving global experts from various organizations and disciplines focused on advancing clinical research capabilities. It aims to enhance the quality and coordination of clinical trials worldwide, address local and global health challenges, and foster collaboration among stakeholders including researchers, ethics committees, policymakers, regulators, funders, and patient/community groups.
GCTF gathers annually for in-person consultation and remains engaged remotely throughout the year.
The first Global Clinical Trials Forum (GCTF) meeting held in 2023 resulted in a global vision for sustainable clinical research infrastructure. The follow-up meeting in June 2024 launched consultations on the Global Action Plan for Clinical Trial Ecosystem Strengthening (GAP-CTS) — read more from the meeting report.
In April 2025, the second GCTF meeting marked two major milestones: the official launch of the GCTF — a WHO-managed network — and the release of GAP-CTS. Further details available in the meeting report.
Partnerships and networks
The implementation of WHA75.8 is led by a secretariat made of a team of WHO staff based in Geneva, who work in close collaboration with relevant WHO regional and country teams. To achieve global reach, the secretariat relies on diverse partnerships to foster global collaboration in strengthening clinical trials ecosystem.
Some of the existing partnerships include:
- WHO partnerships:
Interested in becoming a partner, contact WHA758@who.int
Frequently asked questions
Explore the Frequently Asked Questions for quick answers and insights on common queries about clinical trials.
Frequently asked questions about clinical trials
Contact information
For specific enquiries issues about the implementation of WHA75.8, please contact WHA758@who.int.
Related topics
These related topics highlight important areas integral to strengthening clinical trials to improve global health outcomes. Each topic reflects a critical aspect of building a sustainable, ethical, and efficient clinical trials ecosystem.
From global norms and standards for trial registration and data sharing to prioritizing impactful research and fostering better coordination, these efforts support the generation of high-quality evidence that informs healthcare decisions. Strengthening infrastructure, regulatory processes, and ethical oversight ensures trials are inclusive and capable of addressing both endemic and emergency health challenges.
Explore the topics and initiatives below to understand how they contribute to the ongoing efforts to enhance clinical trials worldwide.
Clinical trials – norms & standards
It is important to promote global norms and standards for clinical trial registration, results disclosure, and data sharing. Prospective registration and the timely public release of all clinical trial results are critical for upholding both scientific integrity and ethical responsibility.
Furthermore, timely disclosure of trial results reduces research waste, enhances the value and efficiency of funding, and minimizes reporting bias. This, in turn, supports better decision-making in healthcare.
- WHO Clinical trials registry standards
- WHO results disclosure standards
- Sharing and reuse of health-related data for research purposes: WHO policy and implementation guidance
Prioritization and coordination
It is important that funding is targeted towards well-designed and well-implemented clinical trials that will produce actionable evidence regarding health interventions that address public health priorities, and particularly the health needs of developing countries.
Therefore national and international prioritization processes, linked to high level political support, are an essential part of the ecosystem.
Coordination of trials is essential to enhance information-sharing, avoid unhelpful redundancies, and to identify gaps. This includes coordination between funders in how agreed priorities are addressed and between trial networks. Only through such coordination can trials reflect the heterogeneity of the individuals who will ultimately use or benefit from the intervention being evaluated, ensure conduct in diverse settings, including all major population groups the intervention is intended to benefit, with particular focus on under-represented populations.
It is essential to promote sharing of information and best practices on efficient and ethical clinical trial design.
Infrastructure and capabilities
Strengthen the infrastructure and capabilities needed for clinical trials, to be applied in normal times and during a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). Capacities can only be functional if utilized during normal times as well as in PHEIC, and so strengthening of endemic disease capacities should be seen as part of preparedness for the next emergency.
Sustainability is a core principle of strengthening of the clinical trials ecosystem. Country-level capacity strengthening for LMIC is a core gap and need.
- Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) network mapping
- Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) competency framework
- African Vaccine Regulatory Forum (AVAREF)
- WHO Indicators to assess the national health research systems - NHRS barometer methodology
- Clinical Research Development Fellowship
Ethical and regulatory approvals
Support ethics committees and regulatory authorities to enable efficient governance processes to focus on the fundamental scientific and ethical principles that underpin clinical trials while maintaining patient and other trial participant protections, including personal data protection.
Financing
Evidence to policy
