Inaugural World Health Organization partners forum report: Stockholm, Sweden, 9-10 April 2019

I n a u g u r a l W o r l d H e a l t h O r g a n i z a t i o n P a r t n e r s F o r u m 9-10 April 2019, Stockholm, Sweden Repor t Inaugural World Health Organization partners forum report, Stockholm, Sweden, 9-10 April 2019 ISBN 978-92-4-000041-4 © World Health Organization 2020 Some rights reserved. This work is available under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO licence (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Under the terms of this licence, you may copy, redistribute and adapt the work for non- commercial purposes, provided the work is appropriately cited, as indicated below. In any use of this work, there should be no suggestion that WHO endorses any specific organization, products or services. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted. If you adapt the work, then you must license your work under the same or equivalent Creative Commons licence. 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The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers’ products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by WHO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters. All reasonable precautions have been taken by WHO to verify the information contained in this publication. However, the published material is being distributed without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lies with the reader. In no event shall WHO be liable for damages arising from its use. Inaugural World Health Organization Par tners Forum Outcome Repor t 2 3 On 9 and 10 April 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the Government of Sweden, convened the Inaugural WHO Partners Forum in Stockholm, Sweden. The Forum offered a unique opportunity for a diverse range of current and prospective partners to learn more about WHO’s impact and value for money, including the Organization’s leadership on Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) through its Thirteenth General programme of Work 2019- 2023 (GPW13). The event also represented a first step in a longer term collaborative endeavor between WHO and its partners to address the quality and quantity of resources required to deliver GPW13 and, in doing, attaining the health- related SDG targets. Finally, the event was an important element of the vision of Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, of a WHO that is more open, transparent, collaborative, innovative and represented a tangible outcome of WHO’s transformation process. Participants and speakers Over 200 participants attended the Forum, ranging from WHO Member States and United Nations and programme partnerships, to foundations, corporations and civil society. Led by Dr Tedros and members of his leadership team and their Swedish Government colleagues, the Forum welcomed special guests at the ministerial and leadership levels of partner organizations. Format, topics and objectives Through keynote addresses and numerous collaborative opportunities, the day and a half meeting provided participants the opportunity to discuss WHO’s impact and value for money, identify ways in which to strengthen partnerships and new opportunities for collaboration and to hear fresh perspectives. One of the Forum’s primary objectives was to explore opportunities for strengthening partnerships and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of WHO financing, with an emphasis on predictability and flexibility. In addition to the panels, discussion sessions and networking opportunities, attendees also exchanged ideas virtually through the WHO Event App. On the second day of the Forum, intensive work was undertaken in 36 case study sessions during which participants examined individual WHO programmes and initiatives from the perspectives of effective partnership and financing. Recommendations In the area of effective partnership, participants recommended that WHO better enable countries to lead their health programmes and also take a stronger role in coordination, advocacy and communications, while also standardizing processes to reduce transaction costs. For partners, participants felt they should better define their added value, set objectives and project parameters in partnership with WHO and better coordinate with others and ensure sustainability. In the area of improving effective financing of WHO, participants believed WHO should do more to define its impact and return on investment, look at new models to finance interventions, be a stronger advocate for greater domestic investment in health and focus on securing more flexible funding. The priorities that participants felt were important for partners included financing programmes that also address factors that impact health, pooling resources with others, leveraging other WHO values beyond funding and focusing more on national ownership E x e c u t i v e S u m m a r y of health programmes and financing. With regard to WHO’s longer- term collaborative endeavor, wide appreciation for the Forum was expressed by participants throughout the event and in the online survey results. A majority of respondents were pleased with the Forum’s content and interactive nature. Many felt the event represented a “good start” to a more collaborative and open approach by WHO and asked that the dialogue be continued in the months and years to come. For example, some participants suggested follow- up “touch points” on topics such as flexible funding, working with civil society and better engagement with the private sector. The importance of an annual partners forum was also emphasized by many participants. A general desire was expressed for in-depth discussions and an opportunity to seek new perspectives. A significant number of participants proposed engaging additional existing partners and new partners, particularly the private sector, in an annual forum. Outcomes The meeting resulted in the following: 1. An energized and diverse community of partners to further support WHO over the coming five years to secure the resources necessary to deliver GPW13; 2. Shared understanding of how to strengthen partnerships and improve the effective financing of WHO, with an emphasis on predictability and flexibility; and, 3. Enhanced trust and confidence in a transformed, impactful and value for money WHO. I n a u g u r a l W o r l d H e a l t h O r g a n i z a t i o n P a r t n e r s F o r u m : D e t a i l e d R e p o r t Overview On 9 and 10 April 2019, the World Health Organization in partnership with the Government of Sweden convened the Inaugural WHO Partners Forum in Stockholm, Sweden. The Forum offered a unique opportunity for a diverse range of current and prospective partners to learn more about WHO’s impact and value for money, including the Organization’s leadership on SDG3 through its Thirteenth General programme of Work 2019-2023. (See agenda in Annex 1.) The event also represented a first step in a longer-term collaborative endeavor between WHO and its partners to address the quality and quantity of resources required to deliver GPW13 and, in doing so, to achieve health-related SDG targets. Finally, the event was an important element of Dr Tedros’ vision of a WHO that is more open, transparent, collaborative, innovative and represented a tangible outcome – and sign of progress – in WHO’s transformation process. Inaugural World Health Organization Par tners Forum Outcome Repor t 4 5 Participants Over 200 participants attended the Forum, including WHO Member States, intergovernmental organizations, United Nations pooled funding mechanisms, global programme partnerships, international financial institutions, foundations, corporations and civil society. Forty-five Member States and 60 multilaterals, NGOs, foundations and private sector organizations participated. (See participant list in Annex 2.) Format, topics and objectives Through keynote addresses and a large number of collaborative opportunities, in part facilitated through the innovative WHO Event App, the day and a half meeting allowed participants to explore WHO’s impact and value for money, identify ways in which to strengthen partnerships and better ensure sustainable financing, explore opportunities for further collaboration and to hear fresh perspectives from new, existing and prospective partners. Forum topics included » Collaborating with partners for impact – past, present and future; » Sweden’s experience and support – at home and abroad, with global health, WHO and SDG3; » Working with WHO as a partner – maximizing the impact of partner investments; » Healthcare in Sweden – progress, challenges and the importance of WHO; » Partnerships and effective financing – reflections, questions and answers; » Marketplace one: Partnering for impact – how to develop and strengthen effective partnerships toward shared goals; » Working with WHO as a partner: universal health coverage, addressing health emergencies and healthier populations; » Marketplace two: Financing for impact – how to ensure more effective and efficient financing of WHO, with a focus on flexibility and predictability, toward shared goals; » "Reflections from young leaders in global health” Today and tomorrow; and, » Marketplace recommendations and next steps. D a y 1 Inaugural World Health Organization Par tners Forum Outcome Repor t 6 7 The Forum opened with an evening plenary session at the Hilton Hotel Slussen Stockholm. Dr Anders Nordström, Ambassador for Global Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden and Ms Michéle Boccoz, WHO Director-General's Envoy for Multilateral Affairs, welcomed Forum participants. Both expressed a desire to have “an open and frank discussion about WHO.” They gave a brief outline of the Forum’s concept, outcomes and objectives in the context of global health and the Sustainable Development Goals. W e l c o m e “We will listen to some ver y inspirational people and have the oppor tunit y to discuss how we can improve our par tnerships with WHO – and how WHO can improve the way they work with us.” Dr Anders Nordström, Ambassador for Global Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden K e y n o t e a d d r e s s : C o l l a b o r a t i n g w i t h p a r t n e r s f o r i m p a c t – p a s t , p r e s e n t a n d t h e f u t u r e Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO In opening the Forum, Dr Tedros thanked the Government of Sweden for hosting the event and for being such a strong partner to WHO, noting a six-year framework agreement that increases flexible funding to the Organization by US$ 30 million. Regarding the importance of non-earmarked funding, he said, “With these flexible funds, WHO can allocate resources when and where they are needed – in times of disease outbreaks or crisis and for areas of work that are sometimes underfunded.” He also thanked the Governments of Australia, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and others who have all supported WHO with flexible contributions. Welcoming all participants, Dr Tedros thanked them for attending the Forum and highlighted the transformational process that WHO is undertaking to make it a more transparent, accountable and impactful partner. After summarizing several significant global health achievements, Dr Tedros said, “but we cannot rest on past achievements. We must shape the future. Health is constantly changing, and so must WHO.” The DG expressed his personal objective to strengthen partnerships in innovative ways to address global health challenges and reach WHO’s “triple billion” targets that are at the heart of the Organization’s strategic five-year plan: one billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage (UHC); one billion more people better protected from health emergencies; and one billion more people enjoying better health and well-being. He emphasized that the Forum represented just one innovative way in which WHO wishes to engage with partners and that he desired to hear candid and honest feedback including critical views on the work of, and partnership with, WHO. Dr Tedros then turned to the major transformation initiative WHO is undertaking to ensure it operates more effectively and delivers greater impact “where it matters most – in the lives of the people we serve.” He noted that transforming WHO must include transforming the way it is financed in order to ensure long-term success and sustainability. To achieve the “triple billion” targets, WHO will need $14.1 billion over the next five years, and necessary changes in financing are not only about the quantity of funding for WHO but also the quality. Dr Tedros highlighted that more than 70% of WHO’s budget is earmarked for specific programmes, which aren’t always aligned with corporate priorities. The result is that silos and internal competition are created for limited funding and the Organization often does not have sufficient funds for priority programmes. In concluding, Dr Tedros said that the Forum represented “the start of the conversation” on how to ensure WHO has the high-quality funding it needs for the priorities Member States have set. “ This is an oppor tunit y to talk informally and candidly about how we can work together more effec tively to achieve our common vision…. a conversation about how to make sure WHO has the resources it needs to do the job the world wants us to do.” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General K e y n o t e a d d r e s s : S w e d e n ’ s e x p e r i e n c e a n d s u p p o r t – a t h o m e a n d a b r o a d , w i t h g l o b a l h e a l t h , W H O a n d S D G 3 Mr Peter Eriksson, Minister for International Development Cooperation, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Sweden Minister Eriksson followed Dr Tedros with his own welcome by affirming Sweden’s commitment to global health and specifically its focus on human rights in the context of sexual and reproductive health and highlighted the important connection between health and democracy. “Our aim to improve global health needs goes hand in hand with the work to make countries more democratic.” The Minister expressed the important role that WHO has to play, saying “Sweden sees WHO as a leading and critical partner in addressing global health challenges.” But he pointed out, that like all organizations over time, WHO needs to continue with its reform efforts. Sweden, the Minister stated, is prepared to work with other governments to support WHO in this effort, specifically in helping the Organization decentralize and strengthen country offices. recruit leadership and performance management skills and assist in creating more effective financing for the Organization. The Minister said that Sweden firmly believes in providing unearmarked core funding to WHO while also expecting higher quality reporting and accountability. He highlighted three highly complex global Inaugural World Health Organization Par tners Forum Outcome Repor t 8 9 health challenges that require stronger collaborative efforts – the Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, antibiotic resistance (AMR) and child obesity. “All of these require effective partnerships and this is what the WHO Partners Forum is about. Sweden regards WHO as a leading and critical partner in our global health work.” P a n e l d i s c u s s i o n : W o r k i n g w i t h W H O a s a p a r t n e r – m a x i m i z i n g t h e i m p a c t o f p a r t n e r i n v e s t m e n t s The Forum continued with a moderated panel discussion among three of WHO key partners: Mr Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Dr Seth Berkley, Chief Executive Officer, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and Dr Senait Fisseha, Director of International Programs, Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation. The panelists first addressed WHO’s unique role in global health. All agreed that WHO’s global reach, depth of expertise and longstanding relationships in countries are values that no other health organization holds. They then discussed the broader challenge of how WHO and its partners can best address the collective challenge of effectively financing SDG3 and how better resource mobilization coordination and budget prioritization are needed. The importance of country leadership in delivering the SDGs was also raised as was the importance of improving coordination between WHO and other partners to facilitate and enable country progress and success. Taking up the topic of collective collaboration and how WHO can improve in this area, the panelists agreed that it is important to choose where to collaborate in order to make the greatest impact. They also noted that leveraging the comparative advantage of all partners and ensuring that large donors do not drive global health based only on their own interests are critical to success. The group then turned to the issue of funding. All agreed that earmarking contributes to programmatic silos and competition between operations. But they were also aligned on the need for WHO to provide greater accountability and transparency in order to secure more flexible funding. The group agreed that strengthening accountability at all levels of the Organization would improve how funders view WHO and, as a result, more funding would come. In concluding the session, the three panelists expressed their hopes for WHO’s future, all reiterating the Organization’s critical global leadership role and their organizations’ support in helping WHO achieve its goals and the DG’s vision. D a y 2 Inaugural World Health Organization Par tners Forum Outcome Repor t 10 11 The second day of the Forum took place at the Stockholm Museum for Photography (Fotografiska). Prior to the formal start of the day, a series of breakfast meetings was organized that allowed participants to have in-depth discussions on a number of global health priorities. Two Swedish- led sessions focused on healthy populations and how to improve partner collaboration in sexual and reproductive health and rights. Another group looked at the interlinkages between global health and climate and environment challenges. WHO hosted two sessions about the new science division and sustainable financing of health emergency response and readiness. Afterwards, Ms Vaughan Jones, Moderator, welcomed participants to the Forum’s second day, reflected on some of the thoughts presented the previous evening and explained the day’s agenda. Ms Lena Hallengren, Minister for Health and Social Affairs, Sweden The Minister started the morning by welcoming participants to the second day of the Forum, saying how honored she was to host the meeting in Stockholm and stating that Sweden would continue to help ensure that WHO is equipped to lead the global response to future health challenges. She discussed the importance of gender equality and universal and affordable access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. In emphasizing Sweden’s commitment to this agenda, she said that broad support for gender equality and respect for human rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, is fundamental to sustainable development. The Minister also highlighted the Swedish Government’s strong commitment to the fight against antimicrobial resistance and belief that strong international cooperation is necessary for this global health threat, as well as others. The Minister concluded by saying that United Nations reform is one of Sweden’s top priorities and she welcomed WHO’s transformation agenda. She said she was proud that Sweden is a leading partner in providing un-earmarked flexible support to WHO but also expected higher quality reporting and accountability. O p e n i n g R e m a r k s : H e a l t h c a r e i n S w e d e n – p r o g r e s s , c h a l l e n g e s a n d t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f W H O O p e n i n g R e m a r k s : D a y o n e r e c a p a n d d a y t w o w e l c o m e Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO Dr Tedros welcomed participants back to the second day by re- emphasizing the Forum’s objective: “to speak honestly about what kind of WHO the world needs.” “I believe the mark of strong friendship is being able to say what you really think. That’s why we’re here,” he said. Dr Tedros highlighted the importance that partnership plays in combatting the world’s most pressing global health threats, such as antimicrobial resistance, and in improving sexual and reproductive health and rights. To be a better partner, WHO is transforming the way it does its business and two “straightforward ideas” are key, he said “putting countries at the center of our work and demonstrating impact at the country level.” Referring to the previous evening’s panel, Dr Tedros concurred with the panelists that global health organizations must work with countries in a sustainable way that reflects their agendas. He also agreed that “science, facts and data must underpin our decisions, and we must have the courage to stick with them.” He ended by giving an example of impactful collaboration by highlighting how WHO and its partners had already vaccinated nearly one million people against cholera in Mozambique in the aftermath of a recent cyclone. “This is partnership in action - an example of the difference we can make in our world when we work together.” To w n h a l l d i s c u s s i o n : P a r t n e r s h i p s a n d e f f e c t i v e f i n a n c i n g – r e f l e c t i o n s , q u e s t i o n s a n d a n s w e r s Ms Vaughan Jones opened an interactive ‘town hall’ discussion with Ms Maja Fjaestad, State Secretary for Health and Social Affairs, Sweden, Dr Tedros and participants. The conversation focused on how WHO can strengthen partnerships and better ensure more flexible and predictable financing. Ms Fjaestad opened bytalking about WHO’s leading role in supporting Member States in implementing the health- related SDGs. She said that Sweden also expects higher accountability from WHO, and the whole United Nations. Dr Tedros acknowledged that accountability and openness are two key pillars of WHO’s transformation. He discussed how WHO’s new strategic plan better aligns with the SDGs and focuses on impact and outcomes and how operational and management processes will be redesigned. The discussion then turned to how to engage additional partners in WHO’s global health mission. Ms Fjaestad highlighted that the private sector has equal responsibility for improving global health and can provide additional knowledge, more effective systems, services and advice. Dr Tedros agreed that WHO needs to expand collaboration with new partners but that they should Inaugural World Health Organization Par tners Forum Outcome Repor t 12 13 “We will have a new operating model based on agilit y and impac t . That includes a new culture with new values and an investment in the right mindset to bring change. The driving force behind our change is our staff.” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General align with WHO’s goals. He said that staying focused on the objective, while also managing risk and mitigating potential conflict of interest were important elements in considering new partners. Ms Vaughan Jones introduced the first marketplace of the day on the subject of Partnering for impact. Each case study highlighted best practices and lessons learned in the areas of both partnership and effective and efficient financing, with an emphasis on predictability and flexibility. Case study topics included: Bringing universal health coverage to millions through collective action; a best- practice partnership for improving antimicrobial resistance surveillance; addressing cholera prevention and response in Yemen; a results-based approach to improving health in Latin America and the Caribbean; and Innovative financing model for greater health impact in Thailand. [www. who.int/news-room/events/ inaugural-partners-forum/ case-studies-partnership- and-impact] Participants examined two case studies each and were specifically requested to consider best practices and lessons learned in effective partnership. At the end of each session, the participants provided recommendations for both WHO and its partners that could be scaled across WHO and partner organizations globally. M a r k e t p l a c e o n e : P a r t n e r i n g f o r i m p a c t : h o w t o d e v e l o p a n d s t r e n g t h e n e f f e c t i v e p a r t n e r s h i p s t o w a r d s h a r e d g o a l s Participants regrouped to listen to a moderated panel discussion among Dr Makhoase Lydia Ranyali- Otubanjo, Director of the Family Health Department, Ministry of Health, Lesotho; Dr Chris Elias, President of the Global Development Division, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Dr Roopa Dhatt, Executive Director, Women in Global Health; and Mr Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The session began with the panelists discussing WHO health emergency work. The group concurred that WHO’s ability to coordinate and engage the right partners at the right time is enabling greater and faster impact. However, it was noted that collaboration with partners in health emergencies could be further improved. It was stated that it is critical to work with organizations that are operating in remote places, at the “last mile,” and to engage them early on. The greater involvementof women in WHO’s transformation and in global health more generally was also discussed. It was highlighted that women make up 70% of the health workforce and 50% of them are informal or unpaid. It was noted that WHO should invest in developing this human capital potential. One panelist proposed that Member States also look at their own gender policies, starting with creating more equality in their WHO delegations. The panel members then focused on the topic of WHO’s transformation. WHO’s move to decentralize to regions and countries and to focus more funding on countries was welcomed. It was also noted that more funding should go to other WHO partners that have the specialized skills and knowledge, and not only to ministries of health. Funding should also be better dispersed among underfunded disease prevention and treatment initiatives. The panel said the issue of siloed and earmarked funding was unhelpful to WHO’s transformation and that Member States need to commit more flexible and predictable funding. It was stated that WHO’s governing body “has given the Organization a tremendous mandate but with limited flexibility.” One panelist said that “a number of commitments that were made were broken. This breaks trust with affected communities.” It was pointed out that increases in flexible funding would allow WHO to ensure that less visible projects do not go underfunded. When asked what was needed in their partnership with WHO, the panelists expressed hope that the Organization would seek to engage partners before and after health emergencies, not only during them, and that underfunded health issues would be prioritized. In order to better integrate women into WHO’s transformation and beyond, it was proposed that an advisory group be created to look at gender and diversity and capacity at the regional and country levels. The panelists also discussed the need for WHO Member States to increase their assessed contributions with one panelist suggesting that contributions be doubled. P a n e l d i s c u s s i o n : W o r k i n g w i t h W H O a s a p a r t n e r : u n i v e r s a l h e a l t h c o v e r a g e , a d d r e s s i n g h e a l t h e m e r g e n c i e s a n d h e a l t h i e r p o p u l a t i o n s Inaugural World Health Organization Par tners Forum Outcome Repor t 14 15 On a final note, it was hoped that WHO would take a leading role in “connecting the dots and painting a picture” of how Universal Health Coverage could be achieved in all countries, and that global health players could lead the global architecture and the necessary financing to achieve it. M a r k e t p l a c e t w o : F i n a n c i n g f o r i m p a c t : h o w t o e n s u r e m o r e e f f e c t i v e a n d e f f i c i e n t f i n a n c i n g o f W H O , w i t h a f o c u s o n f l e x i b i l i t y a n d p r e d i c t a b i l i t y , t o w a r d s h a r e d g o a l s Ms Vaughan Jones introduced the second marketplace on the subject of financing for impact. In her introduction, she provided a brief summary of some of the financing-related ideas from the ‘collaboration wall’ as potential input to the session. Participants examined two additional WHO case studies each, with a specific focus on how to improve flexible and predictable funding for WHO. P a n e l d i s c u s s i o n : R e f l e c t i o n s f r o m y o u n g l e a d e r s i n g l o b a l h e a l t h : t o d a y a n d t o m o r r o w Participants returned to listen to a panel discussion among young leaders in global health. Ms Vaughan Jones led the discussion with three young leaders from Sweden: Ms Anna Theresia Ekman, President of the Student and Junior Doctor Section, Swedish Society of Medicine; Mr Erik Engelhardt, President of Effective Altruism at the Royal Institute of Technology; and Ms Mathilda Stjernqvist, Secretary General, International Federation of Medical Students Associations Sweden. During the panel discussion, the three gave their thoughts on the global health industry and shared their visions for the future. Each panelist brought a different perspective but all agreed that the complexities of improving equity in health, especially with new and growing crises, create an ever greater challenge and that new energy and ideas need to be applied to better address the issues. Significant discussion took place about how better to engage youth to help tackle the challenges. They agreed that this was valid for all young people interested in helping improve the health of others, regardless of their expertise or educational background. The group noted that currently, there is no systematic way for non- health experts to engage in global health. Even with insufficient resources, youth organizations continue to tackle health issues in their societies and would benefit from institutional mechanisms to improve engagement with WHO. One panelist reiterated the point about the importance of including women in decision- making and better tapping into this workforce to deliver health solutions. “Emerging women leaders in global health require access to organizations where they can make a difference.” To w n h a l l d i s c u s s i o n a n d r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s f r o m p a r t i c i p a n t s : After the panel, Ms Vaughan Jones asked participants to vote on the top recommendations from the sessions. To do so, all recommendations had been summarized and loaded onto a specific Inaugural Partners Forum section of the WHO Event App. In the area of effective partnership, it was recommended that WHO better enable countries to lead their health programmes but take a stronger role in coordination, advocacy and communications and standardizing processes to reduce transaction costs. For partners, the participants felt they should better define their added value, set objectives and project parameters in partnership with WHO and ensure better coordination with others and ensure sustainability. Specifically: F O R W H O F O R P A R T N E R S • Let countries lead and consider using strategic cooperation agreements or national plans as the basis for collaboration. • Standardize and pool relevant processes, such as reporting, to increase efficiency and reduce transaction costs for donors and WHO. • Improve coordination with other players - involve all relevant actors and minimize competition. Lead coordination when appropriate. • Increase advocacy, communications and partner visibility to keep issues on the agenda, continue partner engagement and expand support. • Be humble, but also be daring and adaptable; be willing to change. • Define added value; coordinate with other partners, do not compete; and do not all go to the same country. • Plan early with WHO so as to define respective capacities, shared objectives for implementation and desired impact to better ensure a coordinated, focused collaboration. • Set objectives clearly; define who, among the partners, will lead. Have the endgame in sight, including how to transition upon exit. • Before starting a project, consider sustainability, i.e. when the support ends. • Better coordinate with other players - involve all relevant actors and minimize competition. Lead coordination when appropriate. Inaugural World Health Organization Par tners Forum Outcome Repor t 16 17 In the area of improving effective financing of WHO, the participants felt that WHO should do a better job of defining its impact and return on investment, look at new models to finance interventions, be a stronger advocate for greater domestic investment in health and focus on securing more flexible funding. The priorities that participants felt were important for partners included financing programmes that also address factors that impact health, pooling resources with others, leveraging WHO’s other values beyond funding and focus more on national ownership of health programmes and financing. Specifically: C l o s i n g F O R W H O F O R P A R T N E R S • Develop better and more specific business cases that estimate impact and return on investment to allow donors to contribute with greater confidence. • Promote global taxation models to help finance public health interventions (for example, taxes on sugar, tobacco and alcohol). • Take a leadership role in advocating for greater domestic investments in health, especially as countries move from low- to middle-income status. • Restructure funding to simplify reporting and reduce administration and transaction costs. • Increase assessed contributions and other flexible funding to WHO. • Examine health more holistically by financing programmes that address social, economic and environmental determinants of health (eg access to clean water). • Pool resources with other partners for specific interventions and programmes (eg AMR). • Leverage WHO’s intellectual and social capital, rather than only seeing the organization as a funder. • Domestic ownership is critical, both in terms of the agenda itself and the financing of it. • Contribute funding and support to governments for their national health plans. With regard to WHO’s longer- term collaborative endeavor, wide appreciation for the Forum was expressed by participants throughout the event and in the online survey results. A majority of respondents were pleased with the Forum’s content and interactive nature. Many felt that the event represented a “good start” to a more collaborative and open approach by WHO and asked WHO to continue the dialogue in the months and years to come. For example, some participants suggested follow- up ‘touch points’ on topics such as flexible funding, working with civil society, and better engagement with the private sector. The importance of an annual partners forum was also emphasized by many participants. A general desire was expressed for in-depth discussions and an opportunity to seek new perspectives. A significant number of participants proposed engaging additional existing partners and new partners, particularly the private sector, in an annual forum. After voting and discussion were completed, Ms Jane Ellison, Executive Director, External Relations and Governance at WHO and Dr Nordström closed the Forum by thanking the Government of Sweden for its hospitality. Ms Ellison said she was pleased to see everyone engaged in a candid manner and felt that the Forum had been a successful conversation about what partnership really is and the impact it can have. She thanked the participants for the many well informed and thoughtful ideas and recommendations. “It is now incumbent on us to have a response of similar ambition and do something with these ideas, demonstrate that we have responded actively,” she said. Immediately following the Forum on 11 April, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a discussion between WHO and a number of the Organization’s current and emerging financial partners to better understand WHO’s financial situation. On the basis of recommendations that arose from the Forum, the meeting sought to identify tangible next steps for the effective and efficient financing of WHO, with an emphasis on predictability and flexibility. The meeting represented a commitment by the Government of Sweden to support the effective implementation of WHO’s collaborative endeavor and, in so doing, to assist the Organization in securing the resources necessary to deliver GPW13. F o l l o w - u p a c t i o n R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s f r o m p a r t i c i p a n t s : Inaugural World Health Organization Par tners Forum Outcome Repor t 18 19 P a r t i c i p a n t f e e d b a c k At the end of the Forum, participants were requested to complete a survey using the WHO Event App. Overall feedback was positive regarding the Forum’s agenda, format, content and speakers: 89% of participants felt that the panel discussion on Day 1 either met or exceeded their expectations and between 75% and 79% of participants felt that the panels, the case study sessions and townhall discussion on Day 2 met or exceeded their expectations. Comments in the survey included: “Very good first event. Appreciated the honesty and transparency in the discussions.” “WHO leadership did a great job framing their openness to feedback and collaboration.” “A great start to WHO’s transformation. Well prepared, informative. The case study sessions were great. Next time, include new partners and others.” “I feel energized and nourished by partners’ feedback and the variety of their input. Great to hear from different angles and perspectives.” “Good start. The mix of different stakeholders from different levels around the table discussing concrete ongoing work by WHO was in my view the best!...” “It would have been better if each country was given a chance to express its views regarding the relationship with WHO and success stories or failures.” “Where are professional associations and or alliances…? It is time WHO reaches out to other professions for partnerships.” “If (this became) an annual forum, (it should) have no more than 80-100 participants. It will allow better engagement and discussions. Smaller, focused and interactive.” “Big miss was the perpective of other UN agencies and cooperation between those. Great that GAVI and GFATM were there. Really enjoyed the case studies discussion.” “The Forum is a great start. A new beginning and a successful one indeed! To keep this Forum meaningful - a space for honest discussions - it sh[ould] be held in a new WHO region every time.” The meeting resulted in the following outcomes: 1. An energized and diverse community of partners to further support WHO over the coming five years to secure the resources necessary to deliver GPW13; 2. Shared understanding of how to strengthen partnerships and improve the effective financing of WHO, with an emphasis on predictability and flexibility; and 3. Enhanced trust and confidence in a transformed, impactful and value for money WHO. O u t c o m e s “It is a bold move for WHO to open up its approach to closer scrutiny and this signifies its commitment to changing with the global environment ….” Forum participant survey response M e d i a c o v e r a g e a n d s o c i a l m e d i a Both international and local media in Sweden expressed interest in the event. Three media outlets attended: The Economist, the national Swedish radio station Sveriges and Devex, a social enterprise and media platform for the global development community. Coverage of the event was positive, including an op-ed in the Swedish newspaper, Dagens Medicin. Several partners also sent out information/blogposts on the Forum including Women in Global Health and the Permanent Mission of Sweden in Geneva. The WHO Event App and the special section of the WHO website for the event were widely used by Forum participants. Nearly 1,500 visits and interactions occurred on the WHO Event App and 11,133 page views were recorded on the Forum’s webpages, with views jumping 150% during the two days. Non-attendees and external audiences were also engaged with the Forum through social media. Prior to the event, a social media kit was sent to all partners and included on the WHO Event App. The hashtag #WHOimpact was used and shared more than 2,000 times over a four-week period. During the event, the WHO team sent photos, quotes and videos in real-time over its social media channels. The responses on social media were positive with many partners voicing their support for WHO and commenting that they were excited to join the event and discussion, with one partner saying they were ‘excited to launch a new era of collaboration and innovation around WHO’s resource needs’. 1. IPF Agenda 2. IPF Participant list Ms Hannah Vaughn-Jones (Facilitator); Dr Anders Nordström, Ambassador for Global Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden; HE Mr Peter Eriksson, Minister for International Development, Cooperation, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Sweden; Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Director-General, WHO; Dr Senait Fisseha, Director of International Programs, Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation; Dr Seth Berkley, Chief Executive Officer, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Mr Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; Ms Jane Ellison, Executive Director, External Relations and Governance, WHO: HE Ms Veronika Bard, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations in Geneva; Mr Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Dr Chris Elias, President, Global Development Division, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Ms Michéle Boccoz, Director-General's Envoy for Multilateral Affairs, WHO. 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