Apply to be
the 2024 Canadian Youth Delegate
Call for candidatures to the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) and 61st Pan American Health Organization Directing Council (PAHO-DC)
Background Information
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The 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) will take place in May 2024. The WHA is the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO) and one of the largest health policy-setting forums. It brings together health ministers and health representatives from the 194 WHO Member States.
In September 2024, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) will be hosting the Pan American Health Organization-Directing Council (PAHO-DC) to determine its health policies.
A youth delegate has been attending the WHA and the PAHO DC with the Canadian delegation for the past 7 years. They have been working with the Government of Canada over the past few years to increase youth participation in this event.
This opportunity comes from the recognition of the important role that youth play in the world, and the importance of youth participation - “The underlying principle to youth participation in the work of the United Nations is that it leads to better policy and programmatic responses to the problems facing young people today. Not only do youth delegates enrich the debate and policy dialogue, but they also strengthen existing channels of communication and cooperation between Governments and young people.”
The delegate will be selected by a committee composed of representatives from a number of youth, student, and professional organizations working in global health.
Eligibility Criteria
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Be a Canadian citizen and hold a valid Canadian passport;
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Be between 18 and 30 years of age;
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Be able to attend all preparatory meetings and the entirety of the WHA and PAHO DC;
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Be currently a student or a young professional in a field relevant to global health governance, practice, or policy (i.e., international relations, social sciences, anthropology, health policy, health sciences, clinical care, or public health).
Application documents
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Application Form (completed in the online form)
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C.V. (sent in the online form)
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Recommendation letter from the professional or academic supervisor (sent via email from reference directly to Canadian Youth Delegate | Max 2 pages)
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Recommendation letter from peer/community member (sent via email from reference directly to Canadian Youth Delegate | Max 2 pages) *Notes: Reference letters are to be emailed with subject lines that include your full name
Applications will be evaluated based on:
• Past experience in global health
• Involvement in a global health-related student network or university program
• Understanding of global health policy and the nature of the work at the WHA
• Quality of application documents and recommendation letters
Application Deadline
The application deadline is September 30th, 2023, at 23:59 EST
Unfortunately, any application received after the deadline, or any incomplete application will not be considered.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a non-paid position
Financial support will be available for the selected candidate. Participants may need to pay costs upfront, but, accommodations and a per diem will be reimbursed after the participation. Flights will be arranged in advance. Details will be provided to the selected candidate.
Finally, the selected candidate may also be given the opportunity to participate in other Global Health policymaking events as members of the Canadian delegation during the year to follow.
For any questions about the application process please contact Canadian Youth Delegate
Thank you for considering participating in the WHA and PAHO DC as a member of the Canadian Delegation!