REGIONAL COMMITTEE
Provisional Agenda item 20.1
Sixty-third Session Bangkok, Thailand 7–10 September 2010
SEA/RC63/21 16 July 2010
Special Programmes: UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases: Joint Coordinating Board (JCB) – Report on attendance at JCB in 2010 and nomination of a member in place of Bhutan whose term expires on 31 December 2010 The Joint Coordinating Board (JCB) of the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases Research (TDR) acts as the governing body of the Special Programme and is responsible for its overall policy and strategy. This paper describes the background and composition of the JCB TDR and the action to be taken by the Regional Committee. The High-Level Preparatory (HLP) Meeting held in the Regional Office in New Delhi from 28 June to 1 July 2010 reviewed and noted the summary report of the Thirty-third session of the JCB held at Shanghai, China from 14-16 June 2010. The HLP meeting also deliberated on the nomination of one of the Member States of the Region to serve on the JCB for a four-year term of office from 1 January 2011, in place of Bhutan whose term expires on 31 December 2010. The HLP meeting proposed to the Sixty-third Session of the Regional Committee for its consideration that Nepal should be nominated from the SEA Region to the JCB, in place of Bhutan, whose term expires in December 2010. The working paper and the HLP recommendation based on it are submitted to the Sixty-third Session of the Regional Committee for its consideration.
SEA/RC63/21
Definitions 1. The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) is a global programme of international technical cooperation initiated by WHO and co-sponsored by UNICEF, UNDP, the World Bank and WHO, and operates within a broad framework of intergovernmental and interagency cooperation and participation. The two interdependent objectives are developing improved tools for the control of tropical diseases and strengthening the research capability of affected countries themselves. 2. The TDR is governed by three bodies: • • •
The Joint Coordinating Board (JCB); The Standing Committee; and The Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC).
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The relevant governance documents are: • • •
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU); Resolutions of the World Health Assembly and the Executive Board of WHO; and Procedures for the Selection of Members of the Joint Coordinating Board.
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The Cooperating Parties are: •
those governments contributing to Special Programme Resources; those governments providing technical and/or scientific support to the Special Programme; and those governments whose countries are directly affected by the diseases dealt with by the Special Programme; those intergovernmental and other non-profit making organizations contributing to Special Programme Resources or providing technical and/or scientific support to the Special Programme.
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WHO is the Executing Agency.
6. Special Programme Resources are the financial resources made available to the Special Programme by governments and organizations, through the Tropical Diseases Research Fund, an international fund administered by the Bank, the WHO Voluntary Fund for Health Promotion and other agency funds.
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The Joint Coordinating Board Functions 7. The Joint Coordinating Board (JCB) shall, for the purpose of coordinating the interests and responsibilities of the parties cooperating in the Special Programme, have the following functions: •
Review and decide upon the planning and execution of the Special Programme. For this purpose it will keep itself informed of all aspects of the development of the Special Programme, and consider reports and recommendations submitted to it by the Standing Committee, the Executing Agency, and the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC); Approve the proposed plan of action and budget for the coming financial period, prepared by the Executing Agency and reviewed by the Standing Committee. Review the proposals of the Standing Committee and approve arrangements for the financing of the Special Programme in that period. Review the proposed longer-term plans of action and their financial implications. Review the annual financial statements submitted by the Executing Agency, as well as the audit report thereon, submitted by the External Auditor of the Executing Agency. Review periodic reports that evaluate the progress of the Special Programme towards the achievement of its objectives. Endorse the proposals of the Executing Agency and the Standing Committee for STAC membership. Consider such other matters relating to the Special Programme as may be referred to it by any Cooperating Party.
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Composition 8. The JCB consists of 34 members. Its membership was earlier for a three-year period but those selected for membership from 2009 onwards will serve for a period of four years. The JCB members may be reappointed. •
Twelve representatives from governments contributing to the Special Programme Resources, selected by the contributors to the Special Programme. Each such government representative shall serve as a representative of his or her government and may also serve as a representative of a constituency established by governments under this membership category. Each constituency will develop its own procedure to designate its representative to the Board. In the event a government intends to serve on the Board also as representative of a constituency, it shall indicate this in its application
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for membership, it being understood that each government participating in that constituency shall be entitled to rotate as the representative of that constituency at any session of the JCB. (Paragraph 2.2.1 of the MoU). •
Twelve government representatives selected by the WHO regional committees from among those countries directly affected by the diseases dealt with by the Special Programme, or from among those providing technical or scientific support to the Special Programme. (Paragraph 2.2.2 of the MoU). Six members, designated by the JCB itself, from among the remaining Cooperating Parties. (Paragraph 2.2.3 of the MoU). The four (UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank and WHO) agencies that comprise the Standing Committee.
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9. Members of the JCB shall serve for a period of four years and may be reappointed. Other Cooperating Parties may, at their request, be represented as Observers upon approval by the JCB.
Membership of the JCB from the South-East Asia Region 10. At present, the following three Member States from the South-East Asia Region are members of the JCB: Member State Joint constituency India and Thailand Bhutan* Indonesia Period 2010-2012 2008-2010 2010-2012 Selected by TDR contributors Regional Committee Regional Committee Paragraph of MoU 2.2.1 2.2.2 2.2.2
* Term will expire in December 2010.
The Standing Committee Composition and functions 11. The Standing Committee shall comprise of the cosponsors, namely UNICEF, UNDP, the World Bank and WHO. It shall have the following functions: •
Review the plan of action and budget for the coming financial period, as prepared by the Executing Agency, in time for presentation to the JCB not less than 45 days before the JCB's annual session. Make proposals to the JCB for financing of the Special Programme for the coming financial period.
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Approve reallocation of resources between programme areas and Scientific Working Groups of the Special Programme during a financial period, upon the recommendation of STAC and the Executing Agency, and report such reallocations to the JCB. Examine the reports submitted to the Executing Agency by the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) and the Executing Agency's comments; make the necessary observations thereon, and transmit these, with comments as appropriate, to the JCB. Review particular aspects of the Special Programme, including those that may be referred to it by the JCB, and present findings and recommendations in the form of reports to the JCB. Inform the JCB, as required, regarding Special Programme matters of interest to the JCB.
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Action to be taken by the HLP Meeting • • •
The Thirty-third session of the TDR’s Joint Coordinating Board (JCB) was held at Shanghai, China from 14-16 June 2010. Governments that are members of the JCB in 2010 are: Bhutan, India, Indonesia and Thailand. Paragraph 2.2.1 of the Memorandum of Understanding (governments selected by the contributors to the Special Programme resources). From the South-East Asian Region, India and Thailand were selected, under Paragraph 2.2.1, by the JCB held in June 2009.
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Paragraph 2.2.3 of the Memorandum of Understanding (members selected by the JCB itself from among the remaining Cooperating Parties) No government from the SEA Region is a member under Paragraph 2.2.3.
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Paragraph 2.2.2 of the Memorandum of Understanding (governments selected by the WHO Regional Committee) Indonesia is a member until 31 December 2012 under paragraph 2.2.2. The term of office of Bhutan will expire on 31 December 2010.
The HLP Meeting will need to select or re-select a Member State for a four-year term beginning 1 January 2011.
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Annex 1
UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) Joint Coordinating Board (JCB) Guidelines for JCB representatives selected by the WHO regional committees Background issues 1. This document is intended to provide guidelines for those selected by the regional committees for JCB membership. 2. Regional representatives are encouraged to participate proactively in discussions at the JCB. Representatives from disease-endemic countries and other regional representatives can contribute to TDR; in order to do this they should play an active role during JCB sessions. 3. To facilitate participation of the regional representatives at JCB, they need to be briefed about TDR before arriving for their first JCB session. A regional representative should be well versed not only with his/her country's relationship with TDR but also know about TDR activities in the region. A good briefing should enable representatives to participate in and contribute to discussions at the JCB and benefit the cause of TDR. 4. The TDR Secretariat and the regional offices will assist with this briefing.
Guidelines on the role of representatives •
Represent both the country and the region at the JCB, recognizing the importance of voicing the needs of the country, the region and disease-endemic countries in the Board's deliberations. Familiarization with the work of TDR and regional issues by: Reading background information provided by the Programme and/or the Regional Office - the TDR website is www.who.int/tdr. Making contact with (or visiting) current and/or past representatives who have attended JCB sessions. Making contact with (or visiting) key national or neighbouring country scientists who are familiar with the work of TDR (details to be provided by TDR). Making contact with (or visiting) the Regional Office.
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Secure national briefing before the JCB session and provide feedback to the government after the JCB session.
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Secure briefing from the Regional Office before the JCB session and provide feedback to the Regional Office after the JCB session, with possible attendance at the Regional Committee meeting, at TDR's expense if appropriate. Participate in the following meetings just prior to the JCB meeting: The JCB briefing meeting. The meeting of regional representatives, aimed primarily at disease-endemic countries.
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Participate in the virtual network of regional representatives. Keep JCB dates free to ensure attendance for the whole term of office if nominated by the government for the full period – if not nominated for the full period or if changes occur, brief the successor. Ensure availability of suitable alternates in case of absence and brief them thoroughly. At the end of the term of office, be prepared to provide briefing to the next regional representative.
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It is recommended that all JCB representatives should possess the following qualifications: • •
Expertise in the field of one or more of the communicable diseases dealt with by TDR, preferably from the research side or with good knowledge of research issues. Experience, preferably as a research coordinator in or linked to the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Science and Technology, with experience in the overall coordination of national health research activities and collaboration with the Regional Office and TDR. Fluency in English or French, the working languages of WHO as the Executing Agency for TDR. Familiarity with the working of WHO or other UN specialized agencies and past experience related to their governing body and/or international scientific meetings. Knowledge of the work of TDR or willingness to rapidly acquire such knowledge. Cooperating Parties participating as observers should preferably also meet the abovementioned criteria.
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Annex 2
Past and present representatives to JCB from the South-East Asia Region Year/Countries 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Under category 2.2.1 (selected by TDR) resource contributors India Thailand Under category 2.2.2 (selected by the Regional Committee for South-East Asia) Bangladesh Bhutan DPR Korea India Indonesia Maldives Myanmar Nepal Sri Lanka Thailand Timore -Leste Under category 2.2.3 (selected by the JCB itself) Bangladesh India Thailand
REGIONAL COMMITTEE
Provisional Agenda item 20.1
Sixty-third Session Bangkok, Thailand 7–10 September 2010
SEA/RC63/21 Inf. Doc. 19 July 2010
Special Programmes: UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme of Research and Training in Tropical Diseases: Joint Coordinating Board (JCB) – Report on attendance at JCB in 2010 and nomination of a member in place of Bhutan whose term expires on 31 December 2010 The summary report on the attendance of JCB members at the Thiry-third session of the Joint Coordinating Board, Shanghai, China, 14-16 June 2010.
SEA/RC63/21 Inf. Doc.
Summary report on attendance of JCB Members from the SEA Region at the Thirty-third Session of the Joint Coordinating Board (JCB), Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, 14-16 June 2010 1. The JCB meeting was attended by the following JCB Members from the South-East Asia Region: Dr Tjandra Yoga Attima and Dr Rita Krustiatuti (Country Fund) from Indonesia; Dr Lanteng Wangchuk from Bhutan; and constituencies India and Thailand, Dr V.M. Katoch and Dr Saravudh Suwanmadhabha. In addition, 34 JCB members from other regions, co-funding agencies, partners and institutions attended the meeting. Approximately 30 observers from countries, institutions and partners also attended. 2. The JCB meeting reviewed the reports, discussed the proposal submitted by the Secretariat and provided guidelines and recommendations. The major issues that were discussed are highlighted as follows: •
The JCB accepted the following reports: (i) Report of the Chair of the JCB; (ii) Report of the Standing Committee; (iii) Report of the STAG; (iv) Report of the Director, TDR; (v) Report of the Strategic Alliance Advisory Group (SAAG); and (vi) the financial report. The JCB endorsed the following: (i) The TDR Performance Assistance Framework; (ii) Plans for interim external review of the TDR; (iii) Proposed way forward for governance of TDR (Membership of TDR-JCB); (iv) Resource mobilization strategy; and (v) Communication strategy. The JCB members congratulated the People’s Republic of China for the excellent work undertaken by it to control diseases of poverty, and for its achievements on research in tropical diseases, in collaboration with TDR.
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Key recommendations made by the Thirty-third session of the JCB : •
The remarkable achievements made under the TDR-China collaboration over the last 30 years should be sustained in order to support low-income and disease-endemic countries (DECs). The TDR should enhance its visibility and ensure that its cosponsoring agencies give due recognition to contributions made by TDR when reporting on their work to their respective governing bodies and stakeholders. The TDR should reinvigorate its relationship and cooperation with its cosponsors and engage in joint planning with them where appropriate, thereby benefiting from their respective strengths and networks in the field. The TDR should seek to forge partnerships with new networks; while strengthening its linkages with existing research networks in DECs at both national and regional levels.
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The TDR should engage with, and seek support from, ministries of science and technology and other relevant ministries, as well as ministries of health in promoting its vision and strategy. The TDR should further develop its strategies to support the development of research capacity of small-and low-income countries. The TDR should continue to support young investigators in their career development within an institutional development framework. The TDR should be more explicit in its contribution to the achievement of MDGs, specially the health-related MDGs 4, 5 and 6, and should be more specific regarding the outcome and impact of its activities. The TDR should maintain clarity in its direction, taking into account national health plans and WHO policies at regional and national levels, by using the Country Corporate Strategy (CCS). The TDR should explore convening high-level meeting(s) to advocate for increased investments in research priorities identified for infectious disease of poverty. The TDR should advocate for, and assist countries to make resources available for research in line with international commitments and obligations, and support the development of research systems and priority-setting mechanisms. The TDR should present its expenditure in greater detail, i.e. by showing expenditure incurred by region, by income level of countries, and by the level of fund designation. The TDR should ensure that, given WHO’s new policy on partnership, contributors must specify funds for TDR, when making contributions to WHO. A TDR Alumni network should be established for advocacy and engagement in local policy-making.
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4. The Thirty-fourth session of the JCB will be organized in Geneva, Switzerland, in June 2011.