Read online: https://www.hifa.org/projects/hifa-who-collaboration-plan
Since the launch of HIFA in 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been HIFA's most important strategic partner (for background see How HIFA works with WHO to improve the availability of healthcare information worldwide [ https://www.hifa.org/how-hifa-works-who-improve-availability-healthcare-... ])
In January 2022 WHO approved Global Health Information Network (the UK non-profit that administers HIFA) to be a Non-State Actor in Official Relations. Our collaboration is guided by a 3-year Collaboration Plan (2022-2024) [ https://publicspace.who.int/sites/GEM/official_relations_details.aspx?id... ], which is summarised as follows:
'This plan for collaboration between WHO and The Global Healthcare Information Network CIC (GHI-net) supports WHO's work towards fulfilling its constitutional mandate to extend to all peoples the benefits of medical, psychological and related knowledge and WHO’s activities to ensure access to authoritative and strategic information on matters that affect peoples’ health in line with the 13th General Programme of Work. The activities contained in this collaboration plan inform WHO’s work to further understand and address the healthcare information needs of the public, health workers and policymakers; and specifically supports the uptake of WHO’s products, information and public health messages as an enabler for Universal Health Coverage and to support efforts towards the attainment of relevant Sustainable Development Goals. The plan also supports WHO’s efforts towards fulfilling its strategic objectives on multilingualism, in line with relevant UN and WHA Resolutions.'
The five areas of collaboration are:
1. To inform WHO’s work on opportunities and challenges to improve the availability and use of reliable healthcare information, and to support WHO’s advocacy efforts with relevant stakeholders to enhance access to reliable healthcare information. Activities contained therein also support WHO’s efforts to increase the availability and use of WHO's products, information and public health messages.
2. To support WHO’s work on further understanding and addressing the healthcare information needs of the public, health workers and policymakers; and to support the promotion and dissemination of WHO’s publications, information and public health messages.
3. To support WHO in the dissemination and uptake of its products in WHO official languages other than English. To support WHO’s strategic objectives on multilingualism in line with relevant UN and WHA Resolutions (United Nations General Assembly resolution 71/328 and WHA Resolutions WHA50.32 (1997), WHA51.30 (1998), EB105.R6 (2000), WHA61.12 (2008), WHA71.15 (2018)).
4. To provide WHO with knowledge on information needs and options to meet them, thereby supporting WHO's work to increase the availability and use of reliable healthcare information, including (and especially) WHO publications.
5. To support WHO’s efforts towards promoting outreach, communication and collective understanding with relevant stakeholders, and maximizing advocacy opportunities to further the uptake of WHO’s findings, standards, information, products and public health messages on relevant topics, in line with current WHO priorities.
A working group has been convened to take this forward in liaison with the main HIFA Steering Group. The working group is jointly coordinated by Isabelle Wachsmuth (WHO) and Neil Pakenham-Walsh (GHI-Net/HIFA), and brings together WHO and HIFA representatives. The group will meet regularly to:
- identify, prioritise, implement and monitor activities that are designated in the Collaboration Plan and/or other activities that will have similar impact
- assess which activities are feasible with current resources*
- secure additional resources that are needed to implement the plan*
GHI-Net is now seeking financial support to implement the Plan from appropriate funders that align with our Funding Policy. In the meantime we are focusing on one specific activity in the Plan: "To identify best practices, opportunities and challenges from relevant health related stakeholders, towards pursuing universal access to reliable healthcare information." This activity will deliver a report to WHO by the end of 2023 'for WHO’s consideration, containing relevant findings that may inform WHO’s work to accelerate progress towards universal access to reliable healthcare information'.
We shall be counting on your support as individual HIFA members, supporting organisations and volunteers. Please contact me if you can help.
Best wishes, Neil and Isabelle
Let's build a future where every person has access to reliable healthcare information and is protected from misinformation - Join HIFA: www.hifa.org
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of the HIFA global health movement (Healthcare Information For All - www.hifa.org ), a global community with more than 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting on six global forums in four languages in collaboration with WHO. HIFA brings stakeholders together to accelerate progress towards universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK based non-profit in official relations with the World Health Organization.
Twitter: @hifa_org neil@hifa.org
HIFA profile: Isabelle Wachsmuth-Huguet, MSc, MPH has been working for World Health Organization (WHO) since 2003 and has 20 years of expertise on international network promoting and implementing knowledge management solutions in both high and low income countries. She is currently Project manager, Health Systems and Innovation Cluster, Service Delivery & Safety (SDS), Emerging Issues, Quality Universal Health Coverage (QUHC), at WHO Geneva. She is the focal point person for HIFA and is also the coordinator and lead moderator of the WHO Global Francophone Forum - Health Information For All (HIFA-Fr: http://www.hifa.org/forums/hifa-french). She is a member of the HIFA working group on Multilingualism.
http://www.hifa.org/projects/multilingualism
http://www.hifa.org/support/members/isabelle
hugueti AT who.int
