Issued on 1 April 2026
Deadline: 15 April 2026
The WHO South-East Asia Regional Office is seeking experts to serve as members of the South-East Asia Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (SEAR-ITAG). This call for experts provides information about SEAR-ITAG, the expert profiles sought, how to express interest and the selection process.
Background
SEAR-ITAG is a regional immunization technical advisory group established in 2008 by the WHO Regional Director. It provides advice on immunization, vaccines and the prevention, control, elimination and eradication of vaccine-preventable diseases in the WHO South-East Asia Region.
SEAR-ITAG monitors progress towards the Strategic framework for the South-East Asia Regional Vaccine Action Plan 2022–2030, endorsed by the Regional Committee in 2021, and provides contextualized recommendations to Member States, partners and WHO to accelerate progress.
Functions of the South-East Asia Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (SEAR-ITAG)
As an advisory body to WHO, SEAR-ITAG has the following functions:
- Review regional and national immunization policies, strategies and plans for the control, elimination and/or eradication of vaccine-preventable diseases, with a focus on polio eradication; measles and rubella elimination; maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination; and hepatitis B control.
- Provide guidance for setting regional priorities for immunization and vaccine-preventable diseases, including recommending appropriate goals, targets, strategies, and monitoring indicators for immunization and vaccine-preventable disease control and elimination programmes in the WHO South-East Asia Region.
- Advise on the selection of vaccines across the life course and recommend strategies for introducing new vaccines and optimizing immunization schedules, including approaches for monitoring and evaluating impact after introduction into national immunization programmes.
- Review the epidemiological situation of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) in the Region. Monitor progress towards regional goals and targets for VPD control and elimination and for immunization programmes, and identify constraints, risks, opportunities and other factors that may affect achievement of these goals.
- Provide technical recommendations to strengthen and expand gender‑responsive immunization systems, surveillance and laboratory networks, outbreak preparedness, and vaccine safety systems.
- Review and provide input on regional strategic plans, guidelines and frameworks for immunization and for VPD control and elimination.
- Advise on the regional immunization research agenda and priority areas for epidemiologic and implementation research.
- Support WHO advocacy for regional immunization goals with national immunization technical advisory groups (NITAGs), governments, political leaders and other stakeholders and partners.
- Periodically review the implementation status of SEAR‑ITAG recommendations through meetings, field visits, and other mechanisms, including participating in regional and country missions for progress reviews and technical update meetings upon request of the Secretariat.
- Coordinate and collaborate with other regional technical advisory groups relevant to immunization, and with regional verification and certification commissions for VPD elimination, to advance regional immunization goals.
Operations of the South-East Asia Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (SEAR-ITAG)
- SEAR-ITAG shall normally meet at least once each year. The Secretariat may convene additional meetings as needed. Meetings may be held in person or virtually, by videoconference or teleconference.
- Open sessions: Open sessions are convened for the exchange of non-confidential information and views and may be attended by observers (as defined in paragraph III.3).
- Closed sessions: Sessions that deal with the formulation of recommendations and/or advice to WHO are restricted to SEAR-ITAG members and essential WHO Secretariat staff.
- The quorum for SEAR-ITAG meetings is a majority of members.
- WHO may, at its sole discretion, invite external individuals and experts to attend open sessions, or parts of open sessions, as observers. Observers may be invited in their personal capacity or as representatives of a government institution, an intergovernmental organization or a non-State actor. WHO will request observers invited in their personal capacity to complete a confidentiality undertaking and a declaration of interests form before attending a session. Invitations to observers attending as representatives of non-State actors are subject to WHO due diligence and risk assessment, including conflict-of-interest considerations, in accordance with the Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors (FENSA). Observers invited as representatives may also be asked to complete a confidentiality undertaking. Observers will normally attend SEAR-ITAG meetings at their own expense and are responsible for making their own arrangements.
- At the invitation of the Chairperson, observers may be asked to present their personal views and/or their organization’s policies. Observers will not participate in the adoption of recommendations by SEAR-ITAG.
- SEAR-ITAG may establish working groups (subgroups of SEAR-ITAG) to address specific issues. Working groups will meet by teleconference or videoconference. No quorum requirement applies to working groups; outcomes will be submitted to SEAR-ITAG for review at a meeting.
- SEAR-ITAG members are expected to attend meetings. If a member misses two consecutive meetings without a valid reason, WHO may terminate their membership in SEAR-ITAG.
- Reports of each meeting shall be submitted by SEAR-ITAG to WHO (the Regional Director). All recommendations from SEAR-ITAG are advisory to WHO, which retains full control over subsequent decisions or actions regarding proposals, policy issues or other matters considered by SEAR-ITAG.
- SEAR-ITAG shall normally make recommendations by consensus. If, in exceptional circumstances, consensus on a particular issue cannot be reached, minority opinions will be reflected in the meeting report.
- Active participation is expected from all SEAR-ITAG members, including in working groups, teleconferences and interaction by email. Members may be requested, in advance of meetings, to review documentation and provide views for consideration by SEAR-ITAG.
- WHO shall determine the modes of communication for SEAR-ITAG, including between WHO and SEAR-ITAG members and among members.
- SEAR-ITAG members shall not speak on behalf of, or represent, SEAR-ITAG or WHO to any third party.
- SEAR-ITAG members shall adhere to the WHO code of conduct to prevent harassment, including sexual harassment, at WHO events.[2]
Who can express interest?
SEAR-ITAG is multidisciplinary. Members will have a range of technical knowledge, skills and experience relevant to immunization and vaccine-preventable diseases, including elimination and eradication efforts.
WHO welcomes expressions of interest from individuals with expertise in at least one of the following essential technical areas:
- International expert in epidemiology/public health
- International expert in immunization and vaccine-preventable disease programme implementation, management and service delivery
- International expert in paediatrics/internal medicine and infectious diseases
- International expert in data science
- International expert in health economics
Members are appointed for a term of 3 years, with the possibility of extension.
Experience:
- Postgraduate degree from a recognized institution in one of the technical areas listed above
- At least 10 years of experience working on immunization programmes at national and/or international levels, including vaccine-preventable diseases
Desirable
- More than 5 years of practical experience implementing and/or advising on key areas of immunization programmes, including in countries in the WHO South-East Asia Region
- Experience providing advice through technical advisory bodies on immunization and vaccine-preventable disease surveillance at national and/or international levels
Language:
Fluency in English is required.
Submitting your expression of interest
To register your interest in being considered for the SEA-RCCPE, please submit the following documents by 15 April 2026, 16:00 (IST New Delhi, India time) to mehrotrap@who.int using the subject line “Expression of interest for the SEAR-ITAG:
- 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.
WHO will review all expressions of interest after submission. Due to the expected high volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
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 enable WHO 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, considering 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 to reject all expressions of interest at any time without incurring any liability to the affected applicant(s). WHO is not obliged to inform any applicant of the grounds for its decision. WHO may also decide not to proceed with the establishment of the advisory group, to disband an existing technical advisory group or to modify its work.
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 to time as indicated in the letter of appointment.
If you have any questions about this “Call for experts”, please write to mehrotrap@who.int well before the applicable deadline.