Launching the Pan-European Leadership Academy: Tier 1 Demonstration Project. Concept note, 26 May 2021

The establishment of a Pan-European Leadership Academy (ELA) is a key initiative of the WHO Regional Director for Europe, that is intended to support how WHO/Europe will work to maximize country impact to deliver the EPW and GPW 13.

The overarching goal of the ELA is to support Member States to achieve the EPW goals and objectives, including by supporting national health systems to prepare for potential risks and emergencies, and in the delivery of universal health coverage to leave no one behind.

When fully operationalized, ELA will comprise three tiers:

• Tier 1 – a capacity-building programme that offers opportunities for young professionals from national administrations and public health institutions to obtain an enhanced understanding of public health and health systems, with an emphasis on building participatory leadership capacities, as well as of the WHO/United Nations system;
• Tier 2 – a mid-level exchange programme for officials from national administrations, with opportunities for mutually beneficial exchanges of knowledge, experience and capacity-building between these officials and WHO/Europe’s technical programmes, in line with the three core priorities and four flagship initiatives of the EPW, and including a focus on health system recovery and resilience;
• Tier 3 – a twinning and peer-support programme between high-level decision-makers, with structured support for the exchange and scaling up of nationwide and sustainable health system and public health innovations, and for effectively managing change.