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Saatja: EURO Governance <[email protected]>

Saadetud: 09.05.2025 19:22

Adressaat: <"Riina Sikkut_D">; <"Triin Uusberg">; <"Elen Ohov">

Koopia: <[email protected]>; <"Agne Nettan-Sepp">; <=?utf-

8?Q?Helen_S=C3=B5ber?=>; <[email protected]>;

<[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>;

KÖHLER, Kristina <[email protected]>; EURO Governance

<[email protected]>; Strategic Country Support Euro <[email protected]>

Teema: WHO/Europe: Extension of the deadline for submitting nominations

to serve on WHO governing bodies and committees for the nomination year

2025 (Estonia)

Tähelepanu! Tegemist on välisvõrgust saabunud kirjaga.Tundmatu saatja

korral palume linke ja faile mitte avada.Please see the attached

correspondence sent from the World Health Organization, Regional Office

for Europe. One or more attachments may be included.Veuillez vous

r¨¦f¨¦rer ¨¤ la correspondance ci-jointe du Bureau r¨¦gional de l'Europe

de l'Organisation mondiale de la sant¨¦. Une ou plusieurs annexes peuvent

¨ºtre jointes.Mit der Bitte um Kenntnisnahme der beiliegenden

Korrespondenz (eine oder mehrere Anlagen), Weltgesundheitsorganisation,

Regionalb¨¹ro f¨¹r Europa§³§Þ. §á§â§Ú§Ü§â§Ö§á§Ý§Ö§ß§ß§í§Ö §á§Ú§ã§î§Þ§Ñ

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Regional Governance and Languages UnitExecutive Director¡¯s DivisionWHO

Regional Office for EuropeMarmorvej 51, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark |

WHO/Europe - Governance

UN City, Marmorvej 51 Tel.: +45 45 33 68 51 Email: [email protected] DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø Fax: +45 45 33 70 01 Website: https://www.who.int/europe Denmark

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTÉ

WELTGESUNDHEITSORGANISATION ВСЕМИРНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ ЗДРАВООХРАНЕНИЯ

Date: 26 February 2025

REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE BUREAU RÉGIONAL DE L’EUROPE

REGIONALBÜRO FÜR EUROPA ЕВРОПЕЙСКОЕ РЕГИОНАЛЬНОЕ БЮРО

Head office:

UN City, Marmorvej 51, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

Tel.: +45 45 33 68 51; Fax: +45 45 33 70 01

Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.who.int/europe

TO MEMBER STATES

IN THE WHO EUROPEAN REGIO

.

Our reference: Notre référence: Unser Zeichen: См. наш номер:

C.L. 2025 Your reference: Votre référence: Ihr Zeichen: На Ваш номер:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Call for nominations to serve on WHO governing bodies and committees – nomination year 2025

In accordance with Rules 14.2.2 (a) and 14.3 of the Rules of Procedure of the WHO Regional Committee

for Europe, I am writing to initiate the annual process for nominating and electing new members for the WHO

governing bodies and committees to be considered at the 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for

Europe (RC75), which will take place from 28 to 30 October 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

As set out in the Rules of Procedure, Member States in the WHO European Region are invited to notify the

WHO Regional Director for Europe no later than 28 April 2025 of nominations they wish to make for

membership of any of the following WHO governing bodies and committees: the Executive Board (EB)

(2 vacant seats), and the Standing Committee of the Regional Committee for Europe (SCRC) (4 vacant seats).

In this context, I would like to draw your attention to the criteria established by the RC63 relating to the

allocation of seats to ensure equitable geographical distribution, adequate representation of the interests of

the Region, and the opportunity for all Member States in the Region to serve on governing bodies and

committees, as well as other considerations relevant to maximizing the effectiveness of the governing

bodies and committees.

Further details regarding the criteria for membership of WHO governing bodies and committees and the

requirements for submission of nominations are included in Annex 1 below. Please find the relevant

templates attached. In addition, further to the recent informal consultation with Member States on

intentions to serve on WHO governing bodies and committees in the coming years, an overview of the

responses received is shown in Annex 2.

Please address any queries regarding the above information to the Regional Governance and Languages

Unit at [email protected]. I thank you for your continued support for participatory governance in

the Region.

Yours very truly,

Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge

Regional Director

– 2 –

Encls:

Curriculum vitae form for nomination for membership of the Executive Board (EB)

Curriculum vitae form for nomination for membership of the Standing Committee of the Regional

Committee for Europe (SCRC)

– 3 –

Annex 1. Vacancies on WHO governing bodies and committees: process

and criteria for nominations and elections

Overview

1. The WHO Regional Committee for Europe at its 75th session (RC75) shall determine the membership of the following governing bodies and committees for the following number of seats.

(a) Executive Board (EB): two seats will become vacant at the closing of the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in May 2026 when the terms of office of the members designated by Ukraine and Switzerland will have expired.

(b) Standing Committee of the Regional Committee for Europe (SCRC): four seats will become vacant at the closing of RC75 when the terms of office of Greece, Luxembourg, Romania and Ukraine will have expired.

2. In accordance with the established rules to ensure equitable geographical distribution (see below), these seats will be allocated as follows:

Table A1.1. Allocation of vacant seats – nomination year 2025§

Group A Group B Group C

EB One vacant seat

(United Kingdom)*

No vacant seats One vacant seat

(Russian Federation)*

SCRC One vacant seat Two vacant seats One vacant seat

§ For the SCRC, the nomination year indicates the year when Member States are requested to nominate candidates for consideration by the Regional Committee at its annual session that same year. For the EB, the nomination year is one calendar year prior to the actual year of commencement of the term as an EB member. This means that candidates are nominated by the Regional Committee in the calendar year prior to commencement of their tenure as EB members.

*Semi-permanency pursuant to EUR/RC53/R1, EUR/RC60/R3 and confirmed in EUR/RC63/R7 (see paragraph 7).

WHO governing bodies

Underlying principles and selection criteria

3. Regarding the election of membership to WHO governing bodies and committees, Rules 14.2.1 and 14.3 of the Rules of Procedure of the Regional Committee for Europe set out the need for equitable geographical distribution, adequate representation of the interests of the WHO European Region, the opportunity for all Member States in the Region to participate over time in the work of WHO governing bodies and committees, as well as other considerations relevant to maximizing the effectiveness of the work of the governing bodies and committees.

4. Equitable geographical distribution is ensured through the creation of three subregional groupings of Member States (resolution EUR/RC63/R7, Annex 1; see Fig. A1.1).

5. Other selection criteria refer to:

(a) the equal opportunity for each Member State to serve on WHO governing bodies and committees;

– 4 –

(b) the candidate countries’ past engagements and collaborations with WHO and their commitment to WHO’s priorities at the global and regional levels, as reflected in the Fourteenth General Programme of Work, the European Programme of Work, 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health” (EPW) and the second European Programme of Work, 2026–2030 (EPW2); and

(c) the proposed representatives’ broad mix of skills and practical experience in public health and in national administration, as well as gender balance (as further detailed in Annex 2 of resolution EUR/RC63/R7).

Fig. A1.1 Subregional grouping of Member States in the WHO European Region

Number of seats and distribution

6. The Region has eight seats on the EB, which are distributed according to geographical subregional groupings as follows: two seats each in Group A and Group B, respectively (plus a third seat alternating between both groupings), and three seats in Group C.

7. Based on resolution EUR/RC53/R1, Member States in the Region that are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council are granted semi-permanent membership of the EB, meaning that each of them can take up membership every three out of six years.

8. The 12 seats on the SCRC are distributed equally among each of the three subregional groupings.

9. To provide more clarity around the annual vacancies for a three-year mandate in each subregional grouping, in combination with the above principle of semi-permanency, a long-term schedule of membership for both governing bodies was adopted (Table A1.2).

– 5 –

Table A1.2. Schedule of European membership of WHO governing bodies and committees: annual overview of vacant seats per subregional group by year of nomination (based on Annex 2 of decision EUR/RC69(1))

Nomination year§ Group A Group B Group C

Executive Board (EB)

2025 1 (United Kingdom)* 0 1 (Russian Federation)*

2026 1 2 (France)* 1

2027 1 0 1

Standing Committee of the Regional Committee for Europe (SCRC)

2025 1 2 1

2026 3 0 1

2027 0 2 2

§ For the SCRC, the nomination year indicates the year when Member States are requested to nominate candidates for consideration by the Regional Committee at its annual session that same year. For the EB, the nomination year is one calendar year prior to the actual year of commencement of the term as an EB member. This means that candidates are nominated by the Regional Committee in the calendar year prior to commencement of their tenure as EB members. * Semi-permanency pursuant to EUR/RC53/R1, EUR/RC60/R3 and confirmed in resolution EUR/RC63/R7.

The nomination process: applicable rules and practices

10. The process for selecting Member States in the Region to serve on WHO governing bodies and other committees is governed by Rules 14.2 and 14.3 of the Rules of Procedure of the Regional Committee for Europe.

11. Following notification by the Regional Director, Member States are required to submit their nomination six months in advance of the Regional Committee session, with (1) a curriculum vitae, in a standard format, of the representative they intend to nominate if elected, as well as (2) a letter of intent explaining their relationship with WHO, their commitment to WHO priorities at the global and regional levels, and the contribution that they would make as a member of the specific body or committee (Rule 14.2.2 (a)).

12. Following the deadline for the submission of nominations, the Secretariat first reviews the validity of the nominations received, namely, checking if each nomination was received within the deadline and with all the necessary documentation. Then, this information is compiled in the Membership of WHO bodies and committees document and communicated to the members of the SCRC.

13. Based on the received information, the SCRC is asked to review all nominations and identify which candidates in its opinion would best meet the criteria enumerated in the Rules of Procedure and relevant resolutions. This is done in a private session, usually held during the fourth session of the SCRC in June. The outcome of these deliberations is reflected in an assessment report that is sent to the candidate countries. In so doing, the SCRC in the first instance tries to seek consensus among Member States submitting nominations in case there are more candidates than seats (Rule 14.2.2 (b)). SCRC members representing a Member State that submitted its nomination for one of the vacant seats shall abstain from the assessment of received candidacies for that particular body or committee.

14. If consensus is not possible, and if immediately prior to the start of the Regional Committee session there would still be more nominations than seats to be filled for a specific body and within a particular subregional group, the SCRC will submit the relevant assessment report to the Regional Committee for its

– 6 –

information (Rule 14.2.2 (c)). These assessment reports will be forwarded to the Member States as approved by the SCRC during the private session in June.

15. If consensus is still not reached by the time of the actual selection, the Regional Committee will proceed to an election by secret ballot in accordance with Rule 43. Candidate Member States must be represented during the relevant agenda item at the Regional Committee session (Rule 14.2.2 (d)).

16. Any changes in representation during the assessment process should be communicated to the Secretariat in accordance with the existing rules and practices and will be duly reflected in the membership document.

Requirements for submitting nominations

17. Only nominations received no later than 28 April 2025 will be presented to the RC75 in October 2025. Nominations should be submitted to the following email address: [email protected].

18. Each candidature must be accompanied by a curriculum vitae in standard format and a letter of intent.

Curriculum vitae

19. A curriculum vitae must be completed for the representative whom a Member State intends to appoint if elected for any of the above-mentioned bodies and committees. The templates in standard format are attached.

Letter of intent

20. The letter of intent must be written in one of the four official languages of the Region and should not exceed 600 words in length. It should include a short description of the following items:

(a) an overview of the key elements of the relations between WHO and the nominating Member State, including events or programmes of particular relevance to the Member State concerned;

(b) which WHO priorities the nominating Member State plans to represent during its three-year membership term; and

(c) how the nominating Member State plans to achieve those priorities during its three-year term, and the reasons why the Member State is applying for membership of a governing body.

21. To facilitate a comparative consideration of the candidacies submitted by Member States, the letter of intent may include:

(a) a record of Member States’ engagement with WHO’s governance and technical activities, for example, active participation in governing bodies’ meetings, or in special programmes such as the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases; active participation and involvement in intergovernmental negotiations launched under the aegis of WHO; compliance with reporting requirements to WHO at regional or global level; as well as other examples considered relevant by Member States to demonstrate a high level of engagement with WHO;

(b) details and evidence of their commitment to the implementation of global and regional WHO policies considered as a priority by them within the framework of their national health policies as well as their foreign policy; and

(c) details of how they aim to engage and cooperate with WHO if elected, and the contributions they intend to make as members of the SCRC or the EB.

– 7 –

Annex 2. Expression of interest to serve on WHO governing bodies and

committees in 2025–2027 (results from the informal consultation)

1. By filling out an online survey that was sent on 14 November 2024, Member States in the Region were invited to informally share their intentions to serve on WHO governing bodies and committees in 2025–2027. At the suggestion of Member States, this informal consultation was issued earlier than previously and shortly after the closure of the RC74 session, in order to provide as much time as possible for Member States to reflect before the formal process commences.

2. This informal consultation procedure has been a valuable practice in recent years and brings an important element of predictability and transparency to the process of elections and nominations in the Region, while also supporting Member States in their efforts to plan when to submit their nomination and, possibly, in engaging with other potential candidate countries at an early stage.

3. The feedback received from this informal consultation by the deadline of 7 February 2025 can be found below in Table A2.1 and Table A2.2. Since Member States’ participation was strictly voluntary, this information is not binding and does not in any way curtail their right to submit their nominations in accordance with Rule 14.2.2 (a) of the Rules of Procedure of the Regional Committee for Europe.

4. Following the launch of the call for nominations, the Secretariat will organize virtual briefings with the Member States to provide any further information about the process for nominations and elections, also in line with the recommendations of the SCRC subgroup on WHO Regional Office for Europe’s governance.

Table A2.1. Executive Board (EB): expressions of interest received from Member States (until 7 February 2025)

Nomination year§ Group A Group B Group C

2025 1 (United Kingdom)*

Luxembourg (last served 2007)

United Kingdom (last served 2023)

0 1 (Russian Federation)*

Russian Federation (last served 2023)

2026 1

Estonia (last served 2012)

Luxembourg (last served 2007)

2 (France)* 1

2027 1

Iceland (last served 2006)

Sweden (last served 2018)

0 1

§ For the EB, the nomination year is one calendar year prior to the actual year of commencement of the term as an EB member. This means that candidates are nominated by the Regional Committee in the calendar year prior to commencement of their tenure as EB members. * Semi-permanency pursuant to EUR/RC53/R1, EUR/RC60/R3 and confirmed in resolution EUR/RC63/R7.

– 8 –

Table A2.2. Standing Committee of the Regional Committee for Europe (SCRC): expressions of interest received from Member States (until 7 February 2025)

Nomination year§

Group A Group B Group C

2025 1

Czechia (last served 2023)

Latvia (last served 2016)

United Kingdom (last served 2023)

2

Malta (last served 2014)

1

Russian Federation (last served 2021)

2026 3

Czechia (last served 2023)

Finland (last served 2015)

Latvia (last served 2016)

0

1

2027 0

2 2

§ For the SCRC, the nomination year indicates the year when Member States are requested to nominate candidates for consideration by the Regional Committee at its annual session that same year.

= = =

UN City, Marmorvej 51 Tel.: +45 45 33 70 00 Email: [email protected] DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø Fax: +45 45 33 70 01 Website: http://www.euro.who.int Denmark

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTÉ

WELTGESUNDHEITSORGANISATION ВСЕМИРНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ ЗДРАВООХРАНЕНИЯ

Date: 7 May 2025

REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE BUREAU RÉGIONAL DE L’EUROPE

REGIONALBÜRO FÜR EUROPA ЕВРОПЕЙСКОЕ РЕГИОНАЛЬНОЕ БЮРО

Head office:

UN City, Marmorvej 51, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

Tel.: +45 45 33 70 00; Fax: +45 45 33 70 01

Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.who.int/europe

TO ALL MEMBER STATES OF THE WHO

EUROPEAN REGION

Extension of the deadline for submitting nominations to serve on WHO governing bodies and

committees for the nomination year 2025

Dear Sir or Madam,

In my previous correspondence dated 26 February 2025, I invited nominations to serve on WHO

governing bodies and committees, namely on the Executive Board (EB) and the Standing Committee of

the Regional Committee for Europe (SCRC), for the nomination year 2025.

The constitutional deadline of 28 April 2025 for submission of nominations has now expired. Below is

an overview of the received nominations, which indicates that an insufficient number of nominations

were submitted by Member States in Group B for the SCRC:

EB One vacant seat

Two nominations received

No vacant seat One vacant seat

Three nominations

received

SCRC One vacant seat

Three nominations received

Two vacant seats

One nomination received

One vacant seat

Four nominations received

Consequently, it has been decided, in consultation with the members of the Thirty-second SCRC, to

extend the deadline for nominations for this specific governing body and subregional grouping until

Wednesday, 11 June 2025. For those WHO bodies and committees and their subregional groupings

that received a sufficient or exceeding number of candidatures, the submission process is now closed.

I encourage Member States in Group B to consider submitting nominations. For comprehensive details

regarding nomination requirements, please refer to my previous correspondence enclosed.

Further information about the nominations received will be shared with Member States following the

finalization of the submission process.

Yours very truly,

Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge

Regional Director

– 2 –

Encls:

Circular letter: Call for nominations to serve on WHO governing bodies and committees – nomination

year 2025

Curriculum vitae form for nomination for membership of the Standing Committee of the Regional

Committee for Europe, nomination year 2025