Advancing Health Advocacy Through WHO Civil Society Commission

WOSM has recently been accepted as a member of the new World Health Organization (WHO) Civil Society Commission. As we aim to accelerate the attainment of health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Commission will operate within the objectives of the WHO General Programme of Work to strengthen dialogue, foster collaboration and provide recommendations to support the WHO in its engagement with civil society at global, regional and national levels.

Taking into account voices from civil society, its goal is to support WHO’s efforts to improve engagement between the WHO and civil society in order to make it more systematic as we advance the WHO’s work and public health outcomes for all.  

Along with a wider group of 25 organizations, WOSM Youth Representative Ivy Murugi from Kenya will join the WHO Civil Society Commission Steering Committee for the initial term of two years.  

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus launched and held the inaugural meeting of the Steering Committee on 24 August 2023, expressing his wish to work with the Commission members to achieve universal health for all and attainment of the SDGs.

 

“We know from our experience in so many areas that listening to and responding to the voices of the communities we serve is essential to properly addressing the health challenges they face. We have set up the WHO Civil Society Commission to bring civil society from different backgrounds together to advise us and work with us so that we can learn from you and be guided by your ideas.”

- Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

The Commission consists of a General Meeting, a Steering Committee and Working Groups, with the overall strategic direction and development of main deliverables for the work of the Commission being provided by its Steering Committee, which initially includes 25 members with experience in advancing health at the global, regional and national level, appointed by the WHO Secretariat for a term of two years.

The World Organisation of Scout Movement (WOSM) is a member (“participant”) of the WHO Civil Society Commission and will be represented in the Steering Committee (2023-2025) by Youth Representative, Ivy Murugi.

 

"Over the next two years, I look forward to representing the voices of youth-led and youth-serving organizations, ensuring their inclusion and participation in advancing the WHO's work on public health, while providing innovative ways through which the WHO Secretariat can engage better with these civil society organizations. With the Civil Society Commission members each bringing their own unique dynamism, I am eager to learn from their work, and establish meaningful relationships for my personal development, as well as strategic partnerships that will facilitate the growth of the world's largest youth educational movement - WOSM!"

- Ivy Murugi, WOSM’s Youth Representative for Human Rights and Health 

Along with WOSM’s membership on the WHO Youth Council, also represented by a Youth Representative, Alastair Hannaford, WOSM strengthens existing ties made with the WHO through close collaboration within the Global Youth Mobilization, an initiative that empowers young people to take action on issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as disruptions to education, vaccine misinformation and access to essential services.