The World Health Organization (WHO) African Regional Office is seeking experts to serve as members of the African Regional Commission for the verification of measles and rubella elimination (AFR-RVC). 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

WHO supports countries to implement strategies to eliminate measles and rubella. As part of the process of monitoring progress and verification of the status of elimination of these two diseases, countries are expected to document their progress. The country documentation is done with the oversight of an independent national verification committee (NVC), which presents the annual progress report to the Regional Commission for the verification of measles and rubella elimination (RVC). The RVC will review and evaluate the presented documentation according to the standards set out in the Global and Regional guidelines. The verification process will be based on evidence documented by each Member State to demonstrate progress, and to show that interruption of endemic transmission of measles and/or rubella at national level has been achieved.

Functions of the African Regional Verification Commission for the Elimination of Measles and Rubella: AFR-RVC

In its capacity as an advisory body to WHO AFRO, the AFR-RVC shall have the following functions:

• advise NVCs on the process for collecting and analysing data to verify elimination in the countries;
• analyse annual progress reports submitted by NVCs on the status of implementation of measles and rubella elimination strategies;
• prepare and submit meeting reports to the Regional Director, with feedback to Member States;
• conduct field visits in the countries, if necessary, to monitor progress and verify data analyses, in close consultation with the Secretariat (Regional Office);
• undertake high level advocacy for measles elimination at the country and/or regional level;
• verify the progress, achievement, and maintenance of measles elimination first by country and/or area and eventually for the Region as a whole.

Operations of the AFR-RVC

The AFR-RVC will be expected to meet annually in person usually for 2-3 days. Interim teleconferences may be required of the members. The working language of the group will be English, with simultaneous interpretation services to ensure that NVC chairpersons and national program managers can present their progress reports and discuss in the language of their preference.

Who can express interest?

The AFR-RVC will be multidisciplinary, with members who have a range of technical knowledge, skills and experience relevant to immunization, pediatrics, epidemiology, virology, social science. Approximately [6] may be selected.

WHO welcomes expressions of interest from scientists, healthcare professionals, researchers and academicians with expertise in the following areas:

• Vaccines and Immunization
• Epidemiology
• Infectious diseases
• Virology
• Pediatrics and child health; and/or
• Health systems and programme delivery.

Submitting your expression of interest

To register your interest in being considered for the AFR-RVC, please submit the following documents by 18 May 2026 at 00:00hrs (midnight) Geneva time to masreshab [at] who.int (masreshab[at]who[dot]int) using the subject line “Expression of interest for the African Regional Verification Commission for the Elimination of Measles and Rubella”:

• 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.

After submission, your expression of interest will be reviewed by WHO. Due to an expected high volume of interest, only selected individuals will be informed.

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 an 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 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 an 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 masreshab [at] who.int (masreshab[at]who[dot]int) well before the applicable deadline.