Thank you for your interest to service on the WHO Youth Council. The call for nominations is now closed. 1300 applications have been submitted and will be reviewed in the coming weeks by the Youth Council Secretariat and Steering Committee.
We believe young people’s voices should be at the heart of decisions that impact the lives of people’s health around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) wants to collaborate with representatives of health and non-health youth organizations on key health and development issues affecting young people to co-create a comprehensive and inclusive WHO Youth Engagement Strategy.
WHO is setting up the Youth Council as a dynamic network for stakeholders to amplify the voices and experiences of young people, and to harness and expand their expertise, energy and ideas to promote public health. Your organization’s ideas, experiences and expertise will support WHO in its efforts to strengthen youth contributions to public health systems which will enable our Member States to meaningfully engage young people as key drivers in policy-making processes. Read our terms of references.
The WHO Youth Council will be governed by the following principles:
● to be inclusive and diverse in membership and structure, ensuring gender balance and adequate representation from different stakeholder groups, geographical regions and income levels;
● to be transparent in all processes, including the operational strategy and activities;
● to ensure all activities align with WHO’s norms and standards; and
● to facilitate coordination among interested parties to advance WHO’s priorities on the contribution of youth to the public health agenda.
For this opportunity, WHO is looking for:
● Global and regional youth organizations representing the following categories:
- intergovernmental organizations
- nongovernmental organizations (including patient organisations)
- academic institutions
- philanthropic foundations
- youth parliamentarians.
● The entity should contribute significantly to the advancement of public health and to the objectives, vision and goal of the WHO Youth Council and demonstrate documented support for WHO’s work and activities on youth.
● The entity should be active, internationally and regionally, working in the field of youth and public health with proven experience and expertise in the subject matter for at least 3 years.
How to get involved
Applications for the WHO Youth Council are currently closed; however, there will be periodic announcements for expressions of interest.
If you have any questions, please contact WHO Youth Council Secretariat at youthcouncil@who.int
For more details on the terms of reference of the WHO Youth Council, click here.
Your contributions
As your time is valuable, we have provided options for your organization to contribute anywhere from 1–3 hours per week through virtual small focus/working groups and/or larger workshops, facilitated in a highly supportive environment.
Each activity and engagement is unique, does not require previous engagement or participation, and will build upon the discussions and key themes discussed. We will provide several time zone options to support attendance from across the six WHO regions. Discussions will be mostly in small groups to allow time for us to hear from your organizations.
If you have accessibility needs, we will aim to find the easiest way for you to take part.
Provisional dates of annual and working group meetings will be given at a later date.
As our acknowledgement of your support to the WHO Youth Council through your time and insights, and with your permission, we would like to add your organization’s name to the WHO Special Initiatives/Youth website.
WHO Youth Council Steering Committee
- International Federation of Medical Students Association (IFMSA)
Representatives:
- Iris Martine Blom, Liaison Officer to the World Health Organization
- Inês Viva, Vice President for External Affairs
- International Pharmaceutical Students Federation (IPSF)
Representatives:
- Hera Ali, Chair
- World Medical Association - Junior Doctors Network (WMA - JDN)
Representative:
- Yassen Tcholakov, Chair
- World Organization of the Scout Movement
Representative:
- (interim focal point: Annie Weaver)
- Global Health Workforce Youth Hub
Representative:
- Caline Mattar, Chair
6. Lancet and Financial Times Commission Governing Health Futures 2030: growing up in the digital world
Representative:
- (interim focal point: Brian Wong)
- NCD Child
Representative:
- Marie Huerslev, Chair
- WHO 1+1 Youth Initiative to end TB
Representative:
- Wang Yi