This is the fifth edition of the IOAC’s terms of reference updated on the 15 March 2023. The current revision has been introduced following the request of the Director-General to make the IOAC a permanent Committee, to strengthen the IOAC with additional Members and expertise, and to broaden the scope to WHO’s work in health emergencies.

The first edition, for the 2016-2018 term of office, was adopted on 5 May 2016. That edition was revised for the 2018-2020 term of office which was published on 18 June 2018. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing demand for the IOAC’s accountability function, the Director-General approved the third edition of the terms of reference on 2 June 2021. The fourth edition was adopted following the establishment, at the request of the Director-General, of the IOAC Subcommittee on the prevention and response to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment on 30 August 2021.
 

Purpose

The purpose of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee (IOAC) as established by the Director-General, is to oversee and guide the WHO Health Emergencies Programme (the Programme) in coordinating all of WHO’s work in emergencies, thereby enabling the Programme to fulfil its purpose under World Health Assembly decision WHA69(9). The IOAC advises the Director-General on issues within its mandate and reports its findings to the World Health Assembly and other relevant governing bodies upon the request of the Director-General.
 

Functions

The IOAC shall be a permanent committee. Its functions shall be:

a) to provide oversight and monitoring of the Organization’s work in emergencies specifically in the areas of preparedness, surveillance, readiness and response to epidemics, pandemics, disasters and humanitarian crises;

b) to assess the performance of WHO’s work in all emergencies, including graded emergencies and infectious disease risks. This will include:

• assessing the performance of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme at all levels of WHO including global, regional, national and sub-national.
• assessing the performance of all other WHO Divisions and Departments regarding their contribution to WHO’s work in emergencies under the central coordination of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme.
• monitoring the application of lessons learned from past events to increase the effectiveness of WHO’s work in health emergencies and the WHE Programme.

c) to review the adequacy of the WHO financing and resourcing for work in health emergencies;

d) to work with the Standing Committee on Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response and other relevant governing bodies on issues within its mandate;

e) to advise WHO on the development of the global architecture for health emergency preparedness, response and resilience and the role of WHO within it; and

f) to provide advice to the Director-General on the matters under points (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) above and on other matters, as and when requested by the Director-General; provide oversight and monitoring of the Organization’s work in emergencies.

Download the IOAC’s terms of reference (updated 15 March 2023).
 

Method of Work

The IOAC uses a combination of working methods: teleconferences, in-person meetings, field missions, desk reviews and interviews. The IOAC has developed a monitoring framework as a tool to support its assessment of the WHO’s work in emergencies and to track progress against the Committee’s recommendations. The areas for monitoring have changed over time as the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, with its challenges and opportunities, has evolved since its inception in 2016.

The Secretariat is requested to provide regular updates on the IOAC Monitoring Framework prior to submitting the annual report. The matrices completed by the WHE Programme are included as annexes to the annual report and can be found under IOAC reports to Governing Bodies and other documents.

The IOAC also uses the WHO consolidated platform for managing and tracking implementation of recommendations to monitor the implementation status of its recommendations. The Committee finds that the consolidated platform strengthens accountability by tracking the implementation status of recommendations over time, and enhances organizational learning in identifying repetition or duplication, providing deeper understanding of root causes.