Call for Applications to participate in the WHO Regional Committee for Africa

November 06, 2023

The WHO Regional Committee is now accepting applications from non-state actors seeking accreditation to participate.

  • The WHO Regional Committee for Africa established a system at its 71st session (2021) for accrediting regional non-State actors who are not in formal ties with the organisation to attend its sessions. According to the WHO Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors (FENSA), accreditation is a privilege that the WHO Regional Committee for Africa may give to international business groups, philanthropic foundations, and regional nongovernmental organisations. All recognised non-State actors will be permitted to submit written and/or oral declarations, attend Regional Committee sessions upon invitation, and participate without the ability to vote.

  • The purpose of this accreditation process is to accredit non-state actors who do not have formal affiliations with WHO. An invitation to attend a meeting of the Regional Committee for Africa can be extended to non-State players in formal WHO relations without requiring them to go through the accreditation process.

Time Frame

  • The period of accreditation is two years.

Renewing Certification

  • Non-State actors who have previously received accreditation and reapply for the subsequent two-year term may be eligible to employ a streamlined application process for accreditation renewal. The non-State actor will submit a statement outlining just the modifications to the data submitted in the prior application as part of the streamlined process. The non-State actor must voluntarily utilise the streamlined process. There can be no more than two consecutive uses for it.

Eligibility

  • A non-State actor needs to fulfil the following requirements in order to be qualified to apply for accreditation:

  • Its goals and objectives must align with the Organization’s policies and the WHO Constitution.

  • Together with the WHO Regional Office for Africa, it will be actively involved.

  • It will function either regionally or subregionally.

  • Its operations, advocacy, and nature must all be non-profit.

  • It must have a defined structure, a constitutive act, and procedures for responsibility.

For more information, visit WHO