Dear WHO Mission Focal points,

As this year marks the 70^th anniversary of the Organization, there will be a number of events to mark the occasion at the Seventy-first World Health Assembly.  The Director-General has decided that side events be a part of the anniversary celebration and aligned to the theme of the World Health Assembly .  In line with this, Member States seeking to host a side event may kindly submit an application based on the theme “Health for all: commit to universal health coverage.”  This may include topics such as access, equity, health system strengthening and health emergency. As a limited number of spaces will be available, Member States are encouraged to seek broad multi-regional support for their proposal and where possible consider jointly organizing an event.

Please find below information on the process for applying for WHA71 side events.

Applications for Member State side events will be accepted between the period: 26 February and 6 April 2018. The schedule of side events will be shared electronically during the third week in April.

In order to apply for a side event please complete the attached application and send it to: hqgoverningbodies@who.int by COB 6 April 2018.

To facilitate transparency and provide an opportunity for interested Member States to co-sponsor a proposed side event, all applications received will be posted on the GBS website. 

When preparing applications, please note that: 

1.       A Member State may submit or co-sponsor a maximum of two proposals. In other words, each Member State may only associate itself with a TOTAL of 2 proposals

2.       After the selection process has been completed, Member States will be provided an opportunity to co-sponsor events until 1 May 2018.

3.       Member States may confirm their co-sponsorship of a side event by sending an email to cosponsorship@who.int. In addition, Member States applying for a side event are encouraged to indicate on their application form only countries that have confirmed their co-sponsorship (not tbc) and copy those countries in the email submitting their application to hqgoverningbodies@who.int.  

4.       A total of 10 side events will be scheduled, two per each day. Side events will be scheduled during the lunchtime or in the evening and may last for up to 90 minutes.

5.       Applications that are incomplete or received after the deadline will not be considered.

6.       While the rooms for the side events will be made available free-of-charge, any catering and interpretation services involve costs. The Member States requesting side events will be responsible for any costs incurred.

7.       There is a separate application process for side events organized by non-State actors in official relations with WHO. For information about that process, please contact: nonstateactors@who.int

8.       Organizations that are not in official relations with WHO should not be invited to co-organize side events with Member States, as such organizations do not have the necessary security clearance to access to the Palais des Nations. 

With a view to encouraging collaboration among Member States, the Secretariat will be organizing a briefing for the Permanent Missions on 14 March, 2018, during which Member States will be given an opportunity to indicate any specific topics that they are considering to propose as the subject of a WHA71 side event. In this way, Member States interested in the same or similar topics may more easily explore the possibility of submitting a joint proposal. The invitation to the Mission Briefing will follow in due course.

In addition, Member States who wish to indicate their interest in a topic for a side event to solicit broad participation may send an email to: hqgoverningbodies@who.int. This information will be made available on the WHO website.

Best Regards,

Dr Timothy Armstrong

Director, Department of Governing Bodies

World Health Organization