The World Health Organization’s regional office in Western Pacific has started a new initiative to attract more geographically diverse talent from the region.
Called “Go WHO!”, the initiative is the regional office’s response to the low numbers of applicants from select countries in the region, like those in the Pacific islands.
These countries hold the bulk of unrepresented and under-represented talent at the regional United Nations health body, but the reasons for this vary, according to Eric Tagnon, the WHO’s new regional human resources manager, who arrived at the Manila-based institution in November 2016. International experience is lacking among applicants from small Pacific island countries, while applicants from other countries lack knowledge of the WHO and the skillset and experience the aid agency requires of applicants, Tagnon told Devex.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
