The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts to serve as members of expert groups that will contribute to the development of an update of the WHO guideline on self-care interventions for health and well-being, 2022 revision.
This Call for experts provides information about the WHO guideline update to be developed; the role of expert groups at WHO; the profiles of experts currently being sought; and the application and selection processes.
Background
Self-care is defined by WHO as the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health and cope with illness, with or without the support of a health or care worker.
The WHO guideline on self-care interventions for health and well-being was first published in 2019 and updated in 2022. It included recommendations across multiple health topics and provided support to Member States for integrating self-care options into strategies that aim to advance primary health care and universal health coverage, and which are grounded in human rights, gender equality and equity principles.
In line with its commitment to ensuring that normative guidance remains current, evidence-based, and responsive to the needs of Member States, WHO is initiating an update of the guideline. The update will incorporate new recommendations and reassess selected existing recommendations in accordance with the processes outlined in the WHO handbook for guideline development, 2nd ed., including systematic evidence review, transparent management of conflicts of interest and structured deliberation by independent expert groups.
Role of the guideline expert groups
As part of the WHO guideline development process described in the 2014 WHO handbook for guideline development, 2nd ed., the guideline expert groups will support WHO in:
- scoping the guideline and prioritizing questions to guide the retrieval, summary and assessment of the evidence informing the recommendations;
- prioritizing important outcomes for decision-making and developing recommendations;
- examining and interpreting the evidence, with explicit consideration of the overall balance of risks and benefits as well as other factors;
- determining the strength of recommendations, considering benefits, harms, feasibility, acceptability, equity, human rights, and resources; and
- identifying research gaps.
There will be multiple expert groups, including the expert group for developing the scope, the Guideline Development Group (GDG) and the External Review Group (ERG). One or more of these groups may meet once or twice in the next 12 months (either virtually or in person at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland), for 2–3 days each time. Interim teleconferences may be required. The working language of the expert groups will be English.
Who can help with this important work
The expert groups will be multidisciplinary, represent all WHO regions, have gender balance, and include members with a range of relevant technical knowledge, skills, and experience. Approximately 20–25 people are likely to be selected for each group.
To update the WHO guideline on self-care interventions for health and well-being, 2022 revision, WHO welcomes expressions of interest from the following individuals.
End-users who will adopt, adapt and implement the guideline, including:
- decision-makers and public health policy-makers in ministries of health and at other national, regional and local levels;
- health programme administration and management professionals, especially:
- health-care regulators
- health and care workers, including providers in primary care settings.
Representatives of agencies involved in the planning and management of self-care, including:
- civil society representatives
- non-governmental organizations
- professional societies.
Other experts, including:
- people from underserved communities
- caregivers
- researchershealth economists.
With expertise in the following areas:
- access to over-the-counter medicines, especially in low- and middle-income countries
- digitally enabled self-care
- innovation in service delivery
- people-centred care
- health systems and programme delivery
- ethics, equity, human rights and gender in public health
- sexual and reproductive health and rights, including maternal health
- non-communicable diseases, including mental health
- health across the life-course, including adolescent health and healthy aging
- health promotion.
Submitting your application
To register your interest in being considered for the expert groups, please submit your application by 30 April 2026 to: selfcare@who.int. Please put "Self-care guideline expert group" in the title of the email.
You will need to send the following three documents.
- Your curriculum vitae (CV)
- A completed Declaration of Interest (DOI) form for WHO Experts. The DOI form needs to be printed, signed, and scanned – electronic signatures are not accepted.
- A Confidentiality Undertaking form (COI). The COI form also needs to be printed, signed, and scanned - electronic signatures are not accepted.
Your application will be reviewed by WHO. Due to an expected high volume of interest, only shortlisted individuals will be informed.
Important information about the selection processes
Experts should have no significant conflict of interest that would impair their neutrality, independence, or objectivity in the guideline development process. To this end, applicants are required to complete the WHO DOI for WHO Experts. In addition, the shortlisting by WHO of any individual for selection as a member of an expert group is inter alia dependent on WHO determining that there is no conflict of interest or that any conflicts that are identified can be appropriately managed (in addition to WHO’s evaluation of such individual’s experience, expertise and motivation and other criteria).
WHO will publish the names and a short biography of the shortlisted individuals on the WHO website.
Appointment as a member of a GDG will furthermore be subject to an expert signing a Memorandum of Agreement (Terms and Conditions for Temporary Advisers) with WHO, addressing issues such as confidentiality, ownership, and other WHO requirements.
WHO will rely on the information you provide on your CV to assess whether you have the experience and expertise required at the appropriate level. Please ensure that you provide written evidence to support how you meet the relevant criteria, which are identified in the “Who can help with this important work” section.
If you are shortlisted, then at any point during the application process, telephone interviews may be scheduled between you and the WHO Secretariat to ask questions relating to your experience and expertise and/or to explore whether you meet the specified qualities required for membership in the expert groups.
The selection of members of the expert groups will be based on the following criteria: 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 experts will also take account of the need for diverse perspectives from different regions, especially from low- and middle-income countries, and for gender balance.
All experts 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. Should there be any in-person meetings, the travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by WHO in accordance with its applicable policies, rules, and procedures. No honoraria will be provided to any experts for their services or otherwise.
If you have any questions about this Call for experts, please write to selfcare@who.int