We would hereby like to open the call for a focal point, who is going to represent Universities Allied for Essential Medicines at the World Health Organization’s Youth Council. You can apply to this role by sending in a brief cover letter, in which you outline your UAEM experience, your suitability for the role, your availability for the remaining term and your motivation. The deadline for applications is Sunday, the 4th of February, at 11:59 pm your local time. For more details on the WHO Youth Council, the role of the focal point, its responsibilities, and requirements, please have a look below.
If you have any questions regarding the role or the application process, please reach out to ecc@essentialmedicine.org or via +4917656846782 (Maurice’s phone number). We will inform the successful candidate within two weeks, and start a digital handover with Maurice as soon as possible.
What is the WHO Youth Council?
The WHO Youth Council (YC) is a youth partnership network of WHO based on representatives of 22 diverse youth organizations from both health and non-health backgrounds who are working with youth and youth organizations globally to create a movement of youth leading for health. The YC aims to amplify the voices and experiences of young people and leverage their perspective, expertise, and experience to promote public health, by actively advising and engaging with the WHO Director General and Senior Leadership. It serves as a platform for designing and incubating new initiatives and for expanding existing youth engagement initiatives of WHO. Through the Youth Council, WHO seeks to deliver on sustained, meaningful youth partnership and will prioritize the development of an inclusive WHO Youth Engagement Strategy across all levels of the organization. The WHO Youth Council is working on five strategic areas (Youth Leading for Health, Universal Health Coverage, Climate Change and Health, Non-communicable Diseases, Mental Health) in its working groups.
The YC was officially launched at the end of January 2023. In the last 8 months, each working group has implemented and facilitated a variety of activities based on their working plans, more information can be found on Basecamp. UAEM is part of the YC for the initial term until Summer 2024 (most likely end of July).
What are the (possible) responsibilities and tasks? (Possible responsibilities could be fulfilled depending on your motivation and available capacities)
● Regular communication with the ECC (minimum joining their meetings every four weeks, or regular written updates via a contact person)
● Monthly plenary meetings, representing UAEM's perspective
● Attendance of potential annual in-person meeting around the 77th World Health Assembly (End of May 2024)
● Being an active member of the Youth Leading for Health working group (WG), by joining their fortnightly meetings and contributing to their activities/projects (e.g. development of WHO Youth engagement strategy, improvement of WHO internships)
● Coordination of and consulting with other UAEM WG members and with other UAEM regions
● Representation of UAEM's perspective in consultation processes of WHO and other engagement opportunities
● Attendance of fortnightly Steering Committee Meetings, where overall strategic decisions of the YC, and development of internal YC documents are part of the work
● Organising individual engagement opportunities for UAEM with WHO departments (e.g. in the past these included the organisation of a side event at the World Local Production Forum, a Webinar on youth perspectives on access to medicines and developing activities around pandemic preparedness)
Which requirements are necessary for being the focal point?
● Member of UAEM (any region)
● Long-time involvement with UAEM (at least one year)
● Experience representing UAEM externally to stakeholders (locally, nationally, or internationally)
● Well aware of UAEM’s VMVs
● Interest in issues of Global Health Governance, and Youth Engagement
● Available time capacity of at least 3 hours a week
