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THE MAKING OF THE �WHO CIVIL SOCIETY�COMMISSION

CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY �

AN UPDATED OVERVIEW ON THE MAKING OF THE WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION, OCTOBER 2023�CIVIL SOCIETY INTEREST GROUP FOR A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION (WHO CSC)

The WHO Civil Society Commission (CSC) was formally launched at a meeting of the appointed Steering Committee (SC) with WHO Director General Dr Tedros on �24 August 2023. Related to this, the WHO Secretariat published some information on the CSC on their website. The information includes governance basics of the CSC such as the ToR and the lists of the initial SC members (institutions and representatives) and of the Commission members admitted by the WHO Secretariat by now.

The launch of the Civil Society Commission marks the end of a long and difficult preparatory process that started with a “DG Dialogue meeting” on 13 October 2020 when a civil society team recommended to the DG to up a “permanent mechanism for strategically dealing with issues related to WHO and social participation and accountability”, a part of a set of key asks.

Read more about the making of the Commission in this documentation set up by members of the “Civil Society Interest Group for a WHO Civil Society Commission”.

• WHO website of the WHO Civil Society Commission: here
• WHO website of the SC meeting, with recording of the opening segment: here
• WHO press release related to the launch: here
• Blog by Thomas Schwarz, MMI Network, related to the launch: here�

THE WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION: �LAUNCHED IN AUGUST 2023�

Pictures from the launch event

THE MAKING OF THE WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

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BY THOMAS SCHWARZ AND RAVI RAM�AUGUST 2023 (FINAL VERSION)

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OVERVIEW: THE MAKING OF THE WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

(SHORT) HISTORY OF THE PROPOSAL

CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

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• WHO CSO Task Team in 2017 �The report includes the proposal of an “Advisory Committee on WHO-CSO Engagement”
• Civil society input to dialogue meeting with Dr Tedros on 13 October 2020�“In its own institutional processes and arenas, WHO to consistently deal with civil society engagement as a matter of social participation and accountability”
• Agreed action point on 13 October 2020: Set up a “WHO civil society commission” �Dr Tedros: “Let us create this mechanism together.”
• Civil society follow-up meeting, 27 October 2020�Assessment of two main options for WHO Civil Society Commission
• Informal civil society task group “WHO Civil Society Commission”�November 2020 to January 2021, based on mandate by follow-up meeting
• Letter to WHO Secretariat, 11 January 2021�Outline of “WHO Civil Society Commission” submitted by the task group
• Follow-up dialogue with Dr Tedros and team, 25 August 2021
• November 2021: Draft Terms of Reference shared by WHO Secretariat
• January 2023: WHO announcement of the launch, call for participation
• August 2023: Civil Society commission launched

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DG DIALOGUE MEETING IN 2020�AND IMMEDIATE FOLLOW-UP

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DG DIALOGUE, OCTOBER 2020

SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

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CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

THE OVERALL CIVIL SOCIETY DEMAND

“In its own institutional processes and arenas, WHO to consistently deal with civil society engagement as a matter of social participation and accountability”

• Civil society key asks: here

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THE SPECIFIC PROPOSAL OF A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

“It would now be the moment to insert, at the WHO Secretariat, a culture of doing it better with civil society. And then this needs to be set up. The idea of a Commission would be a kind of an interface between civil society, Member States and the Secretariat and the Regions on all what is to be done in this regard.”

• Oral explanations related to the Commission proposals: here�

“LET US CREATE IT TOGETHER”�Dr Tedros: “Let us create this mechanism together. Let’s say WHO Civil Society Commission. But what will it look like and how is it going to be running, what are the mechanisms, we can go into details, and we can discuss.”

• Meeting documentation: here (scroll down)

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THE PROPOSAL OF A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

OUTLINE OF THE COMMISSION

CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Outline submitted by the informal civil society task group �“WHO Civil Society Commission” to the WHO Secretariat, on 11 January 2021

“We kindly invite the WHO Secretariat to consider this outline as it is intended by our task group: an invitation to continue collaborating in putting Dr Tedros’ words into action. We hope and are confident that the Secretariat will confirm its interest and availability for setting up such a Commission or similar permanent mechanism and initiate a process that will hopefully lead to its implementation by mid-2021.”

�Letter and Commission outline: PDF file�More detailed presentation of the outline: see annex, below

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FOLLOW-UP OF THE COMMISSION �PROPOSAL BY THE WHO SECRETARIAT

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THE PROPOSAL OF A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

NEXT STEPS AS PROPOSED BY THE TASK GROUP

CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

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• “We hope and are confident that the Secretariat will confirm its interest and availability for setting up such a Commission or similar permanent mechanism and initiate a process that will hopefully lead to its implementation.

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• This process should include reaching out to a wider civil society constituency beyond our task group, collecting input and feedback on the proposal and preparing the ground for a broad civil society engagement in this initiative.

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• It is expected and welcomed that WHO will also engage in internal consultations regarding the proposed Commission, including discussion within the Executive Board and consultations with Member States.”

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Informal civil society task �Covering letter to WHO, 11 January 2021

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THE PROPOSAL OF A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

25 AUGUST 2021: FOLLOW-UP DIALOGUE

CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

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WHO DG: Reconfirmed commitment and leadership

“During our last dialogue and subsequent follow up, it was suggested that we create a WHO CSO Commission. We plan to establish the Commission as part of the WHO CSO engagement strategy.” (Dr Tedros)

“We reconfirm our commitment and I actually need to apologize, the process has been a bit slow since we first met, and I think we need to speed up now and make sure that we have the Commission as soon as possible.” (Dr Tedros)

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WHO Secretariat: More specific feedback on �how to implement the Commission proposal

“The Commission should be made up of diverse representatives across section of civil society actors. With the job of supporting, monitoring and reporting on WHO CSO engagement transformation.  The main role for the CSR Commission will be to advise on CSO engagement initiatives, to provide recommendations on implementing that WHO CSO engagement strategy and handbook, and to develop a core set of tools for CSO engagement. “

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THE PROPOSAL OF A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

NOVEMBER 2021: DRAFT TERMS OF REFERENCE

CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

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In October 2021, the WHO Secretariat announced that is was “finalizing the Terms of Reference (for the WHO Civil Society Commission) based on the proposal from CSOs and aligned with WHO rules and regulations, including FENSA - for the Commission” and that “the Terms of Reference are currently going through internal review and clearance, and once this has been completed, WHO can announce the application process for the membership of the Commission and the Steering Committee opened”

A team of civil society organizations then reached out to the WHO requesting more specific information and in particular a public consultation on the ToR.

On this ground, the WHO Secretariat invited selected civil society representatives to a briefing and discussion on 25 November and afterwards shared the draft ToR of the Commission for feedback by the end of the year.

Find the draft ToR here (.doc file with some annotations) and here (clean PDF file)

THE PROPOSAL OF A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

DECEMBER 2021: CIVIL SOCIETY FEEDBACK

CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

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Several civil society organizations reacted to the WHO Secretariat’s call for feedback on the draft Terms of Reference and submitted their inputs to the WHO Secretariat by the end of 2021.

A feedback submitted by a broader team requested the WHO Secretariat to substantially review the Terms of Reference based on a more inclusive consultation: “There are several aspects of the draft ToR that remain unsatisfactory from our point of view, and on which we are asking for your reconsideration. First, we would like to put forward the idea that the form of the Commission should follow its functions. While we agree that the proposed WHO Civil Society Commission must fit within WHO regulations, the setup of the Commission as outlined in the current draft ToR is insufficiently functional, and we fear that it will prevent the Commission from playing its expected role (i.e., to produce and provide advice to WHO on working with civil society).”

This feedback includes an “alternative draft” of the Terms of Reference. Find it here.

THE PROPOSAL OF A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE LAUNCH IN EARLY 2023

CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

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“WHO is pleased to inform you about the launching of the WHO Civil Society Commission, which will take place in mid-2023, around of the World Health Assembly, appropriately also marking the WHO75 celebrations.”

• WHO Secretariat email regarding the launch �of the Civil Society Commission, with guidance �on how to submit applications�here (PDF file in Google drive)�
• WHO Secretariat: Final Terms of Reference �of the WHO Civil Society Commission�here (PDF file in Google drive)

Presentations on 28 February 2023, by the WHO �Secretariat: here and here

Informal synopsis: Draft and final Terms of Reference�of the WHO Civil Society Commission: here

LAUNCH OF THE COMMISSION IN 2023

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The WHO Civil Society Commission (CSC) was formally launched at a meeting of the appointed Steering Committee (SC) with WHO Director General Dr Tedros on �24 August 2023. The WHO Secretariat then also published some information on the Commission on their website. The information includes governance basics of the CSC such as the ToR and the lists of the initial SC members (institutions and representatives) and of the Commission members admitted by the WHO Secretariat by now.

The launch of the Civil Society Commission marks the end of a long and difficult preparatory process. It started with a “DG Dialogue meeting” on 13 October 2020 when a civil society team included the proposal of setting up a “permanent mechanism for strategically dealing with issues related to WHO and social participation and accountability” in a set of key asks.

• WHO website of the WHO Civil Society Commission: here
• WHO website of the SC meeting, with recording of the opening segment: here
• WHO press release related to the launch: here
• Blog by Thomas Schwarz, MMI Network, related to the launch: here�

WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION: �FORMAL LAUNCH IN AUGUST 2023�

Pictures from the launch event

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

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THOMAS SCHWARZ AND RAVI RAM�AUGUST 2023

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CIVIL SOCIETY INTEREST GROUP FOR �A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

�After the launch of the Commission in August 2023, the members of the Interest Group agreed to sustain this informal group set up for promoting the proposal of a WHO Civil Society Commission, with tasks and modalities of work to be reviewed.

• Join the Interest Group via joining its Google group
• New contacts of the team hosting and moderating the Interest group will be communicated here soon.

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CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY �

AN UPDATED OVERVIEW, OCTOBER 2023

CIVIL SOCIETY INTEREST GROUP FOR A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION (WHO CSC)

Annex to slides 7:

�Details of the Commission outline�as proposed by a civil society task group�in January 2021

THE PROPOSAL OF A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

OUTLINE OF THE COMMISSION

CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Commission outline, 11 January 2021: PDF file

THE PROPOSAL OF A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

OUTLINE OF THE COMMISSION

CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

1. Overall setup and mandate

• The WHO Civil Society Commission (“the Commission”) shall be set up as a permanent body, based on agreed mandate and Terms of Reference that will specify the main elements to be explicitly defined or regulated, and convened by the WHO Director-General.
• The mandate of the WHO Civil Society Commission shall focus on key issues related to relationships between WHO and civil society. The Commission will build on and draw from the experiences of new and existing civil society platforms and instruments for working with the WHO.

�Commission outline, 11 January 2021: PDF file

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THE PROPOSAL OF A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

OUTLINE OF THE COMMISSION

CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

The WHO Civil Society Commission shall, in particular:

• Monitor and strengthen the state of civil society relations and civic space in WHO and all WHO and global health governance processes and fora, including partnerships and platforms in which WHO is engaged;
• Provide information and advice to the WHO Director-General and to the WHO member states (via DG and Executive Board);
• Foster open, constructive institutional relations between WHO (all levels) and civil society, and take up related initiatives, proposals and requests from international, regional, national and local civil society;
• Explore, initiate, promote and monitor the development of a core set of related instruments,
• Follow-up on WHO engagement in UN initiatives on civic space;
• Support mutual accountability between civil society groups and WHO, on implementation of agreed actions, commitments and instruments, potentially including the following: (...)
• Periodically report to the broader civil society constituency, WHO and its member States and the general public about the state of WHO - civil society relations and civic space at WHO.
• Make information about the Commission and its progress available via designated communication channels.

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THE PROPOSAL OF A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

OUTLINE OF THE COMMISSION

CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

2. References

The Commission shall build on the experience of other WHO Commissions convened by the Director-General.

The Commission shall take into account relevant initiatives for improving relations between WHO and civil society, notably the following:

• WHO Civil Society Initiative (2002-2004), with its report WHO and civil society: linking for better health
• WHO Civil Society Task Team (2018), with its report “Together For The Triple Billion. A new era of partnership between the World Health Organization (WHO) and civil society”
• Civil society DG dialogue meeting, 13 October 2020 with its panel on “WHO to consistently deal with institutional civil society interaction as a matter of social accountability”

The Commission shall consider and respect existing formal guidance on WHO engagement with non-State Actors, notably the WHO Framework on Engagement with non-State Actors (FENSA) and recent documents related to the participation of non-state actors in WHO Governing Bodies �

THE PROPOSAL OF A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

OUTLINE OF THE COMMISSION

CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

3. Composition and terms of participation

The WHO Civil Society Commission shall consist of

• 10-15 civil society Commissioners, including two co-chairs
• WHO Director-General or designated representative (member of leadership team)
• Further representatives of all three levels of WHO (ex officio, terms to be defined)
• Representatives of the WHO Executive Board (ex officio, terms to be defined)

Terms of participation

• The Commissioners shall be members in their personal capacity and contribute to the matters addressed by the Commission according to their best knowledge and experience.
• Civil society members of the Commissioners shall be appointed by the WHO DG for a term of three years (rotation of members' terms on a staggered basis), from a list of candidates nominated by the Civil Society Reference Group of the Commission (see below) and based on a call for expressions of interest.
• The Commission shall be balanced in age, gender and regional representation. It shall include representatives of different civil society sub-constituencies (…). Commissioners need to be conversant with the WHO governance and operational modalities.

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THE PROPOSAL OF A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

OUTLINE OF THE COMMISSION

CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

4. Modalities of work, and support by WHO

The Bureau of the Commission shall consist of the WHO DG or his/her designated representative and the two civil society co-chairs. The Commission shall be convened by its Bureau periodically. The Commission shall normally meet via online platform and refer to online work spaces provided by its secretariat.

To accomplish its tasks, and in particular the development of a core set of instruments for improving institutional relations between WHO and civil society, the Commission shall, as adequate,

• convene working groups and tasks teams;
• invite experts from beyond its membership;
• hold public hearings and calls for open submissions;
• engage and consult widely with relevant constituencies.

A Civil Society Reference Group (or similar structure; terms to be defined in a next step) shall link the Commission and its civil society representatives to wider civil society

The Commission shall be supported in its work by a secretariat (…)

WHO shall provide further support to the Commission as required by the Bureau, and based on an agreed work plan and budget.

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THE PROPOSAL OF A WHO CIVIL SOCIETY COMMISSION

NEXT STEPS AS PROPOSED BY THE TASK GROUP

CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE WITH WHO DG DR TEDROS�ON SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

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• “We hope and are confident that the Secretariat will confirm its interest and availability for setting up such a Commission or similar permanent mechanism and initiate a process that will hopefully lead to its implementation.

​

• This process should include reaching out to a wider civil society constituency beyond our task group, collecting input and feedback on the proposal and preparing the ground for a broad civil society engagement in this initiative.

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• It is expected and welcomed that WHO will also engage in internal consultations regarding the proposed Commission, including discussion within the Executive Board and consultations with Member States.”

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Commission outline, 11 January 2021: PDF file

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...in our letter to the WHO Secretariat