Over 40 NGOs working in health, right to food and nutrition or human rights have urged the Director General of World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr. Margaret Chan to ensure that the WHO Secretariat act in good faith and protect the independence, integrity and credibility of the organisation and to initiate measures to insulate WHO from corporate capture and other undue influences.

The NGOs concern comes in the backdrop of the recent discussion by the WHO member states on a new problematic document, referred to as 'non-paper' that has been prepared by WHO's Secretariat. This paper lists supposed risks of implementing Framework of Engagement With Non State Actors (FENSA) and suggests that it would have “detrimental consequences on the work of WHO.”

For the past four years and as part of the WHO reform, WHO and its governing bodies have been discussing the new set of policies called FENSA. This is a critically important document as its final shape will determine whether WHO will be an agency able to protect its independence, integrity and credibility. As part of this exercise, the member states are also discussing the non-paper prepared by WHO's Secretariat.

Expressing concern about the “non-paper” titled “Implications of Implementing Framework of Engagement with Non-state Actors” that was issued by the WHO Secretariat on October 14, 2015, the NGOs in their letter to Dr Chan said that the WHO member states initiated the development of the FENSA to safeguard the independence, integrity and credibility of the WHO when engaging with ‘non-state actors’ (NSAs). FENSA was to provide a robust framework for engagement with NSAs to ensure the protection of the organisation from undue influence especially in its norms and standard setting functions.

The paper by the Secretariat can undermine further strengthening of a FENSA and prevent it becoming a truly robust framework, as the paper lists the potential ‘unintended consequences’ often in an exaggerated manner, as assumptions, without providing any empirical evidence to back up these claims, the NGOs said.

“We would like to point out that it is high time to take measures in the Organisation to insulate WHO from corporate capture and other undue influences. It will be a step in the right direction if the final framework contains effective provisions for identifying risks of undue corporate influence, including conflicts of interest, and measures to avoid and when not possible, manage, such risks in a transparent and effective manner,” the NGOs in their letter said.

All India Drug Action Network, Arugaan Philippines, Associação Mama Mater/IBFAN Portugal, Blue Cross Norway, Centre for Science in the Public Interest (Canada), CESTA Friends of the Earth El Salvador, Corporate Accountability International, El Poder del Consumidor from Mexico, Health Equalities Group, Health Innovation in Practice (HIP) Geneva, Initiative for Health & Equity in Society India, Institute for Socioeconomic Studies - INESC (Brazil), Lactation Consultants of Great Britain, Third World Network (TWN), UK Health Forum and Youth Network No Excuse Slovenia are some of the NGOs which have signed the letter to Dr. Chan.