Call for expression of interest: Mobilizing young people in the fight to end TB: WHO 1+1 Initiative

The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Programme is launching a call for expressions of interest, seeking collaborators to design and conduct a series of youth engagement campaigns in selected countries on ending TB.

The WHO’s Global TB Programme has been leading efforts to engage young people in efforts to end TB through WHO's 1+1 Youth Initiative. Over 30,000 young people have been engaged to date through the initiative which aims to advance engagement with young people and amplify their voices to end TB and was launched as part of the global multi-stakeholder and multisectoral platform. Youth can have a multiplier effect in the fight to end TB, to accelerate progress towards reaching the ambitious goal of ending TB by 2030, as included in the WHO End TB Strategy and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Following the commitments made by Heads of State at the 2023 UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting to accelerate progress to end TB, in 2024, the focus shifts to turning these commitments into tangible actions. Recognizing the contribution and participation of young people as important stakeholders in this global efforts, the engagement of young leaders will be expanded to support countries in implementing the commitments made by Heads of State to accelerate the TB response and reach targets.

In the drive for meaningful youth engagement, it is critical to identify successful practices and opportunities for the implementation and sustainability of integrated approaches. To this end, WHO is seeking expressions of interest from youth led organizations, academic institutions or other entities with relevant expertise and documented experience in conducting youth engagement campaigns. The selected collaborator should be able to work independently as well as to interact regularly and collaboratively with staff from the WHO's Global Tuberculosis Programme team and other technical experts, as required.

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• The applicant needs to be an officially registered organization, preferably youth-led organizations, or other entities with a proven track record of working in the field of youth mobilization.
• The applicant should have demonstrated experience working in low-resource settings, preferably on TB issues.
• Evidence of a strong history of advocating through youth mobilization for policies and initiatives that address public health issues, especially focus on TB. This can be demonstrated through past projects, advocacy campaigns, or collaborations with relevant stakeholders.
• A documented history of successful collaboration with National Health Programmes (preferably on TB) and WHO or other UN agencies in country. This could include joint projects, workshops, or participation in national level health promotion related campaigns.
• Proven experience in working effectively and efficiently within resource-constrained environments, demonstrating the ability to adapt programming and deliver impactful results with limited resources.
• A track record of engaging a wide audience and effectively utilizing communication channels for health promotion, especially social media. This includes experience utilizing platforms like WHO's training platforms and a proven ability to build the capacity of others in health promotion advocacy through training programs or mentorship initiatives.

How to apply:

All prospective applicants need to submit an expression of interest [i.e. Youth Engagement CamIn addition to the proposal, all applicants must submit a brief introduction or background information of their organization or institution, not more than 2 pages and a proof document to identify as an officially registered organization.

The expressions of interest received will go through a review process and the selected collaborator will be notified on completion of the review process.

Please send your submissions to the WHO Global Tuberculosis Programme at gtbprogramme@who.int and Ms Wang Yi at ywang@who.int. The deadline for expressions of interest is 22 April 2024.

Source: WHO