Technical Advisory Group on the WHO European Framework for Action to Achieve the Highest Attainable Standard of Health for Persons with Disabilities, 2022–2030 (TAG-Disability and Health)
TAG-Disability and Health provides expert advice and support to WHO/Europe on the implementation of approaches to promote the health of people with disabilities and on the monitoring and evaluation of such approaches, taking into account ongoing global and regional processes and adapting these to the WHO European Region.
The WHO Regional Director for Europe appointed the TAG-Disability and Health members following 2 open calls for experts and subsequent selection processes. Selections were based on set criteria that sought to ensure the suitability of the candidates’ experience and areas of expertise, and the distribution of candidates by gender and geographic representation.
As a result, TAG-Disability and Health represents a broad range of relevant disciplines and experience, including the following areas:
- lived experience with disability
- (re)habilitation and various forms of therapy (physical, occupational, speech and language)
- accessibility, inclusive design and universal design
- disability research
- health systems and programme delivery
- public health programme monitoring and evaluation
- statistics
- public health, policy, economics and planning
- disability inclusion and advocacy
- ethics, equity, and legal and human rights.
TAG-Disability and Health has the following functions:
- to advise WHO/Europe on the implementation and offering of technical assistance to Member States on the establishment of their own monitoring and evaluation frameworks at national and subnational levels;
- to propose to WHO/Europe effective and innovative approaches to promote the health of people with disabilities in the Region;
- to advise WHO/Europe on advocating for political commitment and allocating adequate financial resources to strengthen and sustain disability-inclusive health care across Member States; and
- to report to the WHO Regional Director for Europe at regular intervals regarding progress towards meeting the targets of the Framework at regional and subregional levels.