Call for Experts: Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Antimicrobial Resistance (STAG-AMR)

Call for experts: Geneva, Switzerland

Issued on: 20 November 2023

Applications deadline: 17 December 2023 (23:59 CET)

 

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts to serve as members for Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Antimicrobial Resistance (STAG-AMR). 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 Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Antimicrobial resistance (STAG-AMR) is the principal advisory group to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Antimicrobial resistance. The STAG-AMR has the mandate of advising the WHO Director-General and the AMR Division on overall global policies and strategies to address AMR within the context of human health, while considering relevant World Health Assembly (WHA) resolutions and decisions. The mandate of the STAG-AMR is to provide strategic and technical advice to WHO.

The STAG-AMR was reconstituted in 2020 with 20 members appointed for an initial three-year period. The STAG-AMR membership is now being updated with a mix of some of the original members (whose membership may be extended for up to three years) and new members, and a total membership of up to 25 members.

Functions of STAG-AMR

1. The STAG-AMR shall have the following functions:

1. To review progress in the implementation of WHO’s priority activities to tackle AMR in countries consistent with WHO’s mandate, relevant WHA resolutions and decisions, and the strategic objectives of the Global Action Plan on AMR (2015), and make recommendations;
2. To provide an independent evaluation of the major strategic, scientific and technical challenges and opportunities to be addressed by WHO in order to enhance progress in addressing AMR in the context of human health;
3. To review the adequacy of WHO’s response to emerging national and global public health risks with regard to AMR and make recommendations;
4. To review and make recommendations on the status of linkages between AMR and other health interventions, and other relevant sectors;
5. To review and make recommendations on WHO’s engagement in partnerships to enhance the achievement of global AMR goals.

Operations of STAG-AMR – pertinent points for call for experts

1. The STAG-AMR shall usually meet at least once each year. WHO shall provide any necessary scientific, technical and other support for the STAG-AMR. WHO may convene additional meetings, including through teleconferences and videoconferences, on an ad hoc basis, as decided by the Assistant Director General of the AMR Division, in consultation with the STAG-AMR Chair as appropriate.
2. The STAG-AMR may decide to establish smaller working groups (sub-groups of the STAG-AMR) to work on specific issues as agreed upon by WHO and as resources allow, to help address specific questions. These Working Groups will function for a time limited basis and report back to the STAG-AMR.
3. STAG-AMR members are expected to attend meetings. If a member misses two consecutive meetings, WHO may end his/her appointment as a member of the STAG-AMR.
4. A report of the main STAG-AMR meeting each year, including the STAG-AMR’ recommendations to WHO, shall be submitted jointly by the STAG-AMR Chair and the Assistant Director-General of the AMR Division to the Director-General. All recommendations from the STAG-AMR are advisory to WHO, who retains full control over any subsequent decisions or actions regarding any proposals, policy issues or other matters considered by the STAG-AMR.
5. Active participation is expected from all STAG-AMR members, including in working groups, teleconferences, and interaction over email. STAG-AMR members may, in advance of STAG-AMR meetings, be requested to review meeting materials and to provide their views for consideration by the STAG-AMR.
6. STAG-AMR members shall not speak on behalf of, or represent, the STAG-AMR or WHO to any third party.

Who can express interest?

20. STAG-AMR will be multidisciplinary, with members who have a range of technical knowledge, skills and experience relevant to medicine, infectious diseases, biomedical sciences, public health or a related field.

WHO welcomes expressions of interest from policy-makers, administrators, researchers, healthcare professionals, and healthcare regulators meeting the following requirements:

• Established credibility in areas of public health strategy, policy, programmatic implementation and/or science and research related to addressing antimicrobial resistance;
• A combination of national programmatic experience and international exposure; experience of working in or with countries across a range of income and health systems maturity contexts, especially experience of working in or with low and middle-income countries, is desirable;
• Direct experience of working on antimicrobial resistance extensively and/or demonstrable competencies to bring new strategic and technical advisory inputs for international efforts to address antimicrobial resistance.

Applications demonstrating some or all of the following experience are especially welcome:

• Multi-sectoral and sector-specific governance and financing for AMR activities; programmatic experience of implementation of AMR national action plans;
• Ability to advise on positioning of specific health priorities (such as AMR) in wider health sector planning and strategies for e.g. primary health care, universal health coverage, and health emergency preparedness and response;
• Understanding of the global health architecture and financing, with ability to advise on positioning of health priorities (such as AMR) to advance strategic and financing objectives;
• Deep expertise in one or more areas relating to AMR surveillance, prevention and control, inter alia strengthening and/or evaluating surveillance systems for antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use or health care associated infections at national and international level; strengthening of health systems for bacteriology diagnosis; design and implementation of comprehensive antimicrobial stewardship programmes and/or addressing inappropriate use of antibiotics;
• International mechanisms to address the weak research and development pipeline and access to relevant products (antimicrobials, vaccines, diagnostics and other innovations);
• Involvement in advocacy, policy and community outreach for antimicrobial resistance.

Submitting your expression of interest

To register your interest in being considered for the STAG-AMR please submit the following documents by 17 December 2023 23:59 (CET) to stag-amr [at] who [dot] int using the subject line “Expression of interest for the STAG-AMR”

• 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.

1. submission, your expression of interest will be reviewed by WHO.

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 (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 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 stag-amr [at] who [dot] int well in advance of the application deadline.