The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific is seeking additional experts to serve as members of the Technical Advisory Group on Reaching the Unreached (TAG-RTU) for the Western Pacific Region. This “Call for experts” provides information about the advisory group, the expert profiles being sought, the process to express interest, and the selection process.
Background
Reaching the Unreached is critical to achieving universal health coverage and to realizing the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals to leave no one behind. At its 73rd session, the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific endorsed the Regional Framework for Reaching the Unreached in the Western Pacific 2022-2030. The vision of this RTU Framework is for transformed health health-care delivery and public health systems across the Western Pacific Region that routinely reach everyone everywhere and ensure equitable health outcomes. The RTU Framework highlights that action is required in five key domains: (1) political commitment coupled with governance, financing, and legal structures; (2) multi-stakeholder engagement; (3) data and evidence; (4) health service transformation built on high-quality primary health care; and (5) special approaches to allow quick adaptation to specific challenges or crises beyond the immediate capacity of existing health services. Active engagement of communities is critical across all of these action domains.
The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific supports the Member States in implementing the RTU Framework. The TAG-RTU provides independent external review and strategic advice to WHO/WPRO on reaching the unreached across the WHO Western Pacific Region.
Functions of the TAG-RTU
In its capacity as an advisory body to the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, the TAG-RTU shall have the following functions:
- To review, from a scientific and technical standpoint, the content, scope and dimensions of activities related to reaching the unreached, including any research areas covered and approaches to be adopted;
- To provide an independent evaluation of the scientific and technical aspects of the ‘reaching the unreached’ theme;
- To recommend priorities within the ‘reaching the unreached’ theme; and
- To review and make recommendations on progress in implementing the Regional Framework for Reaching the Unreached in the Western Pacific.
Operations of the TAG-RTU
The TAG-RTU will typically meet at least once each year. However, WHO may convene additional meetings. TAG-RTU meetings may be held in person (at WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific in Manila or another location, as determined by WHO) or virtually via video or teleconference. The working language of the meeting and documentation is English. No stipend or honorarium is paid to members. However, should meetings take place in person, travel costs will be covered, and an expense allowance will be provided.
Members of TAG-RTU will participate in their individual capacities and not as representatives of their organization, institution, or country. The complete functions, composition, nomination process, and duration of appointments are detailed in the Terms of Reference.
Who can express interest?
The TAG-RTU will be multidisciplinary, with members with technical knowledge, skills, and experience relevant to reaching unreached populations across countries and areas in the Western Pacific Region. Up to 5 members may be selected from the expressions of interest to this call.
Nominees should be recognized experts and leading thinkers in developing and implementing strategies to reach groups unreached by systems and services and bring expertise relevant to achieving the vision of the Regional Framework. Individuals with expertise in reaching the unreached in low-and middle-income countries, including experts from unreached groups, particularly in the Asia Pacific Region, are especially encouraged to express interest.
This call provides an excellent opportunity for leading regional and global experts to advise WHO in its mission to transform health systems and services to reach everyone and improve equity of health outcomes across the Western Pacific Region.
WHO particularly welcomes expressions of interest from individuals with one or more types of expertise listed below:
- Ethics, equity, human rights, and gender in public health
- Health systems transformation to reach unreached groups. This may include expertise relevant to governance, law, financing, and/or design and implementation of policies, strategies, and initiatives that enable health systems to reach the unreached
- Universal health coverage and primary health care
- Community engagement – especially in engaging unreached communities in processes to identify issues and co-design solutions
- Community expertise – including experts with lived experience of belonging to groups who are unreached by health systems
- Multisectoral action
- Data and evidence – particularly the development and use of processes for collection, analysis, and use of data and evidence that make unreached groups visible and can be used to support effective planning, monitoring, and evaluation
- Addressing factors that contribute to populations being unreached, such as stigma and discrimination, social determinants of health, and the settings in which people live and work.
In assessing applications, the following criteria will be applied:
- Track record and recognized achievements in reaching the unreached
- Achievement of a balance of expertise across multiple disciplines and sectors, gender diversity, and geographical origin
Submitting your expression of interest
To register your interest in being considered for the WHO Technical Advisory Group for Reaching the Unreached in the Western Pacific Region, please submit the following documents by 15 August 2024 24:00h Manila time to Dr Rajendra Yadav (yadavr@who.int) copied to Leonora Esguerra (esguerral@who.int ) and Roxanne Divina (divinar@who.int)
- 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). Also, please use the subject line “Expression of interest for the TAG on Reaching the Unreached”.)
- Fill out the survey form at this link: https://forms.office.com/e/wQeGM0nEa2
- 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) 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. 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/publications/m/item/declaration-of-interests-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 into 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 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. However, should meetings take place in person, 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 Dr Rajendra Yadav (yadavr@who.int), ICD Coordinator, well before the applicable deadline.
Series No: 2024/June/169