Webinar series: Planning for Sustainable Financing for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, Readiness and Resilience


WHO Community of Planners

PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE FINANCING for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, Readiness and Resilience: a 7-part webinar series for the Pandemic Fund Second Call for Proposals.

Begins March 19

Registration ongoing until 18 April

This webinar series is open to WHO Member States.

Webinar schedule:

Webinars will be held at 12-13:30 CET.

To register, please click on each of the webinar titles above.

Share your questions for the speakers ahead of the series here.

For all other questions, please contact whespp@who.int.

New course on Mainstreaming of Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion in WASH in Health-Care Facilities


Access to clean water and sanitation is a fundamental right. Inaccessible and low-quality WASH services hinder the realization of this right for millions across the globe. This is especially true for women and girls, persons with disability, ethnic minorities, and other marginalized groups. Ensuring that WASH programs are inclusive and equitable is more important than ever.

The new OpenWHO course on Mainstreaming of Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion in WASH in Health-Care Facilities dives deep into the critical intersection of gender equality, disability rights, and social inclusion within the context of WASH in health-care settings.

This self-paced course targets WASH sector actors, health facility managers and health professionals, community leaders and organizations that represent excluded and marginalized groups.

A Certificate of Achievement will be available to participants who score at least 80% of the total points in the final assessment.

Enroll now and be a part of this transformative journey!

Just launched: Groundbreaking course on sex and gender in infectious disease programmes


Join us on a revolutionary learning journey: OpenWHO is proud to unveil our new course on Taking Sex and Gender into Account in Infectious Disease Programmes.

This course aims to enhance public health professionals' understanding of infectious disease programmes, health emergency response and health inequalities. It will strengthen competence in dealing with gender perspectives in public health programmes, particularly in health emergency settings.

The course also aims to contribute to the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PRSEAH). You will learn how sex and gender interact with infectious disease outbreaks and how to apply the gender analysis matrix and other tools.

If you score at least 75% of the total points on the course assessments, you will receive a Certificate of Achievement. Case studies and exercises are included so you can apply course concepts to real-world scenarios. Enrol today!

New OpenWHO course on Health Emergency Readiness for Response Operations


Unlock your potential in crisis response with our new course on Health Emergency Readiness for Response Operations!

Developed by WHO professionals in the field, this comprehensive course equips government officials and technical experts with the knowledge needed to effectively manage health emergencies. The course provides essential insights and practical tools to enhance your readiness and response capabilities.

In less than 2 weeks, this course has amassed 1730 participants, and awarded 569 certificates so far. There are hundred and more learners joining every day. It’s now your turn to take the first step towards becoming a proficient leader in emergency operations by enrolling now at https://openwho.org/courses/health-emergency-readiness-ops

OpenWHO is celebrating International Mother Language Day with courses offered in 72 languages


On this International Mother Language Day, we recognize the profound importance of language diversity and comprehension. That's why we're committed to promoting linguistic inclusion by offering courses in 72 languages. By providing accessible learning opportunities, we strive to ensure learning about public health and health emergencies is accessible, including in languages.

Explore our courses on OpenWHO here.

WHO launches an online course in English and Ukrainian on preventing and responding to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment


On 17 January, WHO launched an online course focused on preventing and responding to sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (PRSEAH). The course, available in Ukrainian and English, is designed to educate public health workers in Ukraine on PRSEAH fundamentals.

To date, over 800 learners have enrolled in the English version of the course, of whom almost 50% are aged 20–29 years, with the second-highest enrolment (24%) observed among learners aged 30–39 years. Thirty-two per cent of the enrollees consider themselves to be students, followed by health professionals at 22%. The Ukrainian version, facilitated by the WHO Country Office in Ukraine, has drawn almost 100 learners, of whom 33% reside in Ukraine.

Designed to be completed in about one hour, the course is open to all and particularly supports public health professionals in Ukraine by highlighting the global issue of sexual exploitation and abuse. Participants who score at least 80% on the final assessment will receive a Certificate of Achievement and an Open Badge. This effort underscores WHO's dedication to PRSEAH education and support for survivors, aiming to ensure accountability and cooperation within the United Nations and among its partners in Ukraine.

To access the English-language course, please visit https://openwho.org/courses/prseah-Ukraine. To access the Ukrainian-language course, please visit https://openwho.org/courses/prseah-Ukraine-uk

Empowering Communities, Eradicating Neglected Tropical Diseases: Together on NTD Day!


The World Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Day marks a pivotal moment in global health, with over a billion individuals affected by NTDs. This day serves as a powerful catalyst, rallying communities, policymakers, and health professionals to address and eradicate these diseases. WHO NTD experts have produced soon 30 courses on OpenWHO to enhance understanding, foster prevention strategies, and cultivate the skills needed to combat NTDs. Learn more about NTDs here.

Join us to beat leprosy: Let's raise awareness and end stigma!


Today, on World Leprosy Day, we celebrate the remarkable progress in treating and curing leprosy, the power of medical advancements and global cooperation. OpenWHO's course addresses the epidemiology of leprosy, how to suspect and refer, topics of diagnosis and treatment, lepra reactions, prevention of disabilities and public health interventions. Learn more on leprosy here.

Happy International Day of Education!


On this International Day of Education, we recognize the profound role that learning and education play in safeguarding our world from public health emergencies. Education acts as a cornerstone in building resilient societies equipped to face health crises with knowledge, preparedness, and unity. It is through informed learning that individuals across the globe can understand and implement best practices in health, ensuring a collective response to emergencies that is both effective and inclusive. By prioritizing access to quality education for all, we are not just enriching minds; we are actively contributing to a robust global defense against public health threats, ensuring a safer and healthier future for everyone.

Access WHO's guidance-based knowledge here.

Building a Safer Tomorrow: Commemorating the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness


On 27 December, we celebrate the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.

The COVID-19 pandemic shed light on the need to equip the world and ensure that we are all ready to take on the health challenges to come. We must heed the lessons learnt from the recent pandemic and invest in epidemic preparedness, prevention and response to save the world from the scourge of epidemics.

Access the OpenWHO courses on pandemic and epidemic-prone diseases to improve response capabilities here.

Celebration of World Arabic Language Day 2023


Celebrate Arabic Language Day with OpenWHO! From public health essentials to crisis response, OpenWHO offers valuable knowledge in your native language, empowering you to make a difference in your community. Join us in commemorating the beauty and significance of the Arabic language while enhancing your skills in the vital field of public health. Visit OpenWHO today and embark on a learning journey that transcends borders. Happy Arabic Language Day!

Browse through our courses in Arabic here.

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Celebration with OpenWHO Courses


As we commemorate Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day on 12 December, it's crucial to reflect on the vision of a world where everyone, regardless of their socio-economic background, has access to quality healthcare without facing financial hardship. This UHC day, join the movement towards achieving health for all by delving into the specialized UHC courses offered on OpenWHO. These courses, available in the dedicated UHC channel, provide a comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices essential for building robust health systems.

From exploring the fundamentals of UHC, to gaining insights into policy development, these OpenWHO courses empower learners with the knowledge needed to contribute meaningfully to the global pursuit of equitable health coverage. By participating in these courses, individuals become advocates for change, equipped to drive conversations and initiatives that promote inclusive health practices. Let's celebrate UHC Day by taking a collective step towards a healthier and more equitable world through education and informed action. Access the courses on OpenWHO and be a part of the movement for Universal Health Coverage! Access the Universal Health Coverage channel on OpenWHO here.

New courses on OpenWHO this month


We are pleased to announce the following courses that have recently been made available:

WHO/ICRC Basic Emergency Care: Conflict-Related Injuries: The modules in this course are designed to support first contact providers working in conflict settings, or those who may need to manage conflict injuries. It covers conflict trauma resulting from blast, penetrating, and burn injuries.

Response Preparedness for Zoonotic Disease Outbreaks Using a One-Health Approach: This online course introduces the concepts of the coordinated response to manage zoonotic disease outbreaks between sectors for animal health, public health, and the environment as well as other relevant stakeholders. In addition, it fosters understanding of the diverse perspectives of different stakeholders during an outbreak response.

Introduction to Dengue: This short course introduces dengue, providing an overview of the causative organism, vector, transmission, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the disease.

Next Generation Sequencing for Influenza and SARS-CoV-2: From Sample Collection to Analysis: This online training explains the end-to-end workflow of NGS (Next Generation Sequencing), from sample preparation to the upload of genomic sequencing data to public-domain or public-access databases.

WHO Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health: The course consists of video recordings from the 2022 School, which focus on promoting capacity-building for improving refugee and migrant health.

Whole-of-Society Approach to Creating Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Cities: Harnessing South-South Cooperation for a Post-COVID Era: The course emphasizes a whole-of-society approach to managing complex risk and creating healthy, sustainable, and resilient cities with practical examples and useful tools.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for the Prevention and Care of Neglected Tropical Diseases: This course is specifically designed for governments, development agencies, civil society partners, and others working with them. It aims to help establish or strengthen collaboration between WASH and NTD actors.

Water Safety Planning for Urban Water Supply Systems: An Introduction: This course outlines the principles and steps of the water safety planning approach and presents the success factors that underpin effective and sustainable implementation. It also highlights how water safety planning can strengthen resilience to climate threats.

Superficial Fungal Infections: Training of Health Workers at National and District Levels on Skin-NTDs: This course explores the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of the most common superficial fungal infections globally.

Global Nutrition Targets Tracking Tool: This course is relevant to stakeholders who are keen to track nutrition progress around the world or interested in leveraging data to accelerate progress to improve nutrition outcomes among populations.

Chromoblastomycosis: Training for National and District-Level Health Workers: The aim of this course is to provide basic information for front-line health workers to recognize and treat chromoblastomycosis.

Managing Conflict of Interest in National Pharmaceutical Systems: This online training aims at supporting countries with practical guidance on preventing and managing conflicts of interest in public pharmaceutical systems.

Medical Equipment Electrical Safety Testing: This course provides methods for evaluating the electrical safety of medical equipment at a medical facility and actions to take following the evaluation.

We are pleased to announce that OpenWHO now has a total of 254 courses with learning resources spread across 72 languages. All courses can be accessed here. You can use the toolbar to filter courses by language and topic.

New training offerings on the End TB channel

The End TB channel includes courses that provide critical training on essential skills to facilitate the implementation of WHO’s End TB Strategy based on sound ethics principles and due protection of human rights.

Two new courses were recently added to the channel:

Management of Tuberculosis in Children and Adolescents for Healthcare Workers

Tuberculosis and Mental Health

New course series on Noncommunicable Diseases for WHO Southeast Asia Regional Office

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) impose a major and growing burden on health and development in the South-East Asia Region. In the region, 62% of all deaths are due to NCDs, accounting for 9 million persons every year.

A series of four courses recently became available and focus on several NCD related topics of relevance to the Region. For a better learning experience, we recommend accessing the courses in the order listed below:

Course 1: HEARTS of NCD: An Integrated Approach to Management of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD) in Primary Health Care

Course 2: Interventions for Noncommunicable Diseases in Primary Health Care

Course 3: Prevention and Management of Diabetic Foot Problems

Course 4: Palliative Care: Models of Service Delivery and Symptom Management

Monthly newsletter

You can access the most recent newsletter here.

As we approach the end of another impactful year, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all members of our community for their unwavering commitment to learning, collaboration, and global health improvement through OpenWHO. In 2023, we've witnessed remarkable strides in our collective mission to provide accessible, high-quality learning resources in response to health emergencies and beyond, and we will continue our work and efforts in 2024 to share the latest health knowledge to save lives, reduce disease transmission, and protect the vulnerable.

Best wishes,

OpenWHO team

Let communities lead - World AIDS Day 2023


Let’s celebrate World AIDS Day together on 1 December!

WHO published the Consolidated Guidelines on HIV Prevention, Testing, Treatment, Service Delivery and Monitoring which compile broader guidance including the Service Delivery and differentiated service delivery (DSD) for HIV treatment updates.

The OpenWHO course builds on the latest WHO 2021 service delivery and differentiated service delivery for HIV treatment recommendations, and promotes increased knowledge on the newest WHO HIV guidance to ensure all people living with HIV on antiretroviral treatment can access person-centered and high-quality HIV services. Organizations representing communities living with, at risk of, or affected by HIV are pivotal in driving progress in the HIV response, create demand for person-centered services, foster trust, encourage innovation, monitor the implementation of policies and quality services, and hold providers accountable.

Access the OpenWHO course on HIV service delivery and differentiated service delivery for HIV treatment here.

New course on Basic Emergency Care for Conflict-Related Injuries


A systematic approach to emergency conditions saves lives, even when specialized care is not available. To this end, the WHO, in collaboration with the ICRC and IFEM, developed an online course on Basic Emergency Care: Conflict-Related Injuries. This course includes extended modules covering conflict trauma resulting from blast, penetrating and burn injuries. The modules are designed to support first contact providers working in conflict settings, or those who may need to manage conflict injuries.

This course is an extension of the Basic Emergency Care: approach to the acutely ill and injured course for first contact providers who manage acute life-threatening conditions with limited resources, which was launched earlier this year on the OpenWHO platform. Participants will receive a Certificate of Achievement upon successful completion of the assessments and earn a Digital Badge that can be shared through social media.

25 November marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women


25 November is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The world is experiencing some of the most prolonged and intense conflicts, increasing risk of violence for millions of women and girls. Healthcare for gender-based violence survivors is an essential part of humanitarian response.

OpenWHO offers a series of 5 courses that provide detailed guidance on the Clinical Management of Survivors of Rape and Intimate Partner Violence.

This series is intended for qualified healthcare workers providing services to survivors of rape and intimate partner violence in humanitarian emergencies.

Celebrating World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW)


18 to 24 November is World AMR Awareness Week.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity. AMR threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. It occurs when microorganisms develop resistance to medicines that are relied upon for treatment, making some conditions difficult or impossible to cure. As a result, infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.

Learn more about how to prevent AMR in our Antimicrobial Resistance channel which offers learning resources to in multiple languages

New course launched on zoonotic disease outbreaks and the One-Health approach


75% of emerging infections in humans are zoonotic. A One Health approach is key to the management of shared threats for future outbreaks and pandemics at the human-animal-environment interface. A multidisciplinary and multisectoral collaboration, through a One Health approach is required to effectively prepare for, detect, assess, and respond to emerging and endemic zoonotic diseases. However, during outbreaks of zoonosis, countries usually have limited time to organize the response. If no operational framework is in place, each sector tends to work independently.

OpenWHO has launched a 2-hour course that introduces the concepts of the coordinated response to manage zoonotic disease outbreaks between sectors for animal health, public health and the environment as well as other relevant stakeholders. In addition, it fosters understanding of the diverse perspectives of different stakeholders during an outbreak response. A certificate of achievement is also available upon completion of the course.

Sign up here: https://openwho.org/courses/reprep-zoonotic-outbreaks

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction


On 13 October, we celebrate the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. This day celebrates how communities are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reducing disaster risk.

We invite you to access our course on “Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management for Resilient Cities” to learn more about the existing risk in cities. This course also aims to introduce participants to knowledge and tools to manage all-hazard risks for effective health emergency and disaster risk management and building resilient cities from a health perspective.

10 October Celebrating World Mental Health Day


Mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies is a priority and integral component of every humanitarian response.

Humanitarian emergencies exacerbate the risk of mental health conditions and increase the need to scale up mental health and psychosocial support services and care.

To celebrate on World Mental Health Day on 10 October, we invite you to explore our course offerings on this topic.

OpenWHO launched an orientation course to strengthen the competencies of health sector actors working in emergencies to establish, support and scale up Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in countries. The focus of this course is on how to apply existing practical, evidence-based, scalable tools and practice-led approaches for successful implementation of projects to strengthen MHPSS in emergencies operations, protection from mental health and psychosocial consequences of crises and towards the realization of universal mental health coverage.

The course is now available in English, Polish, Spanish and Ukrainian.

Celebrating International Translation Day


OpenWHO offers courses in 71 national and local languages to make learning accessible to communities across the globe. You can browse them here.

On 30 September we celebrate the translators across the world who made this possible. 17.5 million words have been translated!

Celebrating 8 Million Enrolments


We are proud to share that our OpenWHO online courses now have 8 million enrolments! Our free platform is open to all, anytime, from anywhere. Since 2017, OpenWHO is free of charge and offers multilingual self-paced online courses on various health topics. Our team is forever grateful for your engagement in our OpenWHO learning community. Thanks a lot from the OpenWHO team!

Celebrating the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies with a new course on OpenWHO on Air pollution and Health!


On the 7th of September we celebrate the UN International Day of Clean Air for blue skies. The United Nations have marked this date as an effort to strengthen cooperation in improving air quality and reducing air pollution.

Clean air is vital for health and day-to-day lives of people, yet air pollution still persists being the greatest environmental risk to human health and one of the main preventable causes of death and disease globally. Air pollution is responsible for 7 million premature deaths per year. These deaths are mostly caused from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer – but also from acute lower respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia.

All health workers would benefit from gaining knowledge and skills to protect individuals and communities from air pollution exposure, as well as to advocate for clean air.

OpenWHO launched a new course on "Air pollution and Health" to help understand, communicate and address the main health impacts of air pollution and which roles health workers can play to protect and promote people’s health. The course is made up of 4 modules with videos and interactive exercises. Participants have the opportunity to earn course certificates and digital badges to share their achievements.

Access the new Air pollution and health course here.

New training offerings in the Infodemic Management channel


New training offerings in the Infodemic Management channel

The Infodemic management channel includes training courses that provides an overview of the strategies, good practices, methods and tools that infodemic managers and all interested health workers can use in the field to prevent, prepare for and respond to infodemics.

Four new courses were recently added to the channel:

New courses on OpenWHO this month


LearningSavesLives: OpenWHO stories from across the globe

The OpenWHO team organized an online exhibition and experience-sharing event on 12 & 13 July 2023, showcasing how learners have used WHO’s free OpenWHO.org learning platform to protect public health in their communities. These case studies describe OpenWHO use on the ground by health professionals and communities, providing examples beyond what can be captured on the platform and contributing to the body of knowledge on the multiplier effect of open online learning.

You can access the video recordings of the presentations in the dedicated portal created in the OpenWHO platform here.

New courses on OpenWHO this month

We are pleased to announce the following courses that were recently made available:

Mpox and the 2022-2023 Global Outbreak: This course provides a brief overview of mpox, including new insights on transmission, clinical presentation, preventive measures, and outbreak response.

Ebola and Marburg Diseases Screening and Treatment Center Design: This course, explores the fundamental principles and structural requirements underpinning the design and functioning of screening facilities and treatment centres in Ebola and Marburg diseases context.

WHO Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health: The course consists of video recordings from the 2021 School, which focus on sharing country experiences in addressing the health needs and rights of refugees and migrants, with an emphasis on specific thematic areas: health service accessibility, COVID-19, mental health, health promotion and health financing.

National Action Plans for Health Security (NAPHS): Leveraging WHO's New Integrated and Holistic Planning Approach This introductory level course provides a general overview of the NAPHS process and methodology.

Go.Data: Building Additional Dashboards in Power BI: The aim of this course is to provide learners with skills to create additional dashboards in Power BI using the data collected in Go.Data.

WHO-ICRC Basic Emergency Care: Approach to the Acutely Ill and Injured: This course introduces a practical and systematic management approach to emergency conditions.

Air Pollution and Health: An Introduction for Health Workers: This course examines the main health impacts of air pollution and which roles health workers can play to protect and promote people’s health.

Public Health and Pesticides: This course guides participants through a process of decision making for implementation, by adopting best practices of public health pesticide management.

Oral Health Training Course for Community Health Workers in Africa: The aim of this course is to build the capacity of community health workers on oral health promotion, oral disease prevention, and control to meet some of the unmet demand for oral health services and strengthen the oral health system through a cross-cutting approach.

HHFA Data Collection Training of Trainers: This course equips qualified health professionals at country level with the core knowledge to facilitate training sessions for collection of HHFA data from health facilities.

We are pleased to announce that OpenWHO now has a total of 230 courses with learning resources spread across 71 languages. All courses can be accessed here. You can use the toolbar to filter courses by language and topic.

New training offerings in the Infodemic Management channel

The Infodemic management channel includes training courses that provides an overview of the strategies, good practices, methods and tools that infodemic managers and all interested health workers can use in the field to prevent, prepare for and respond to infodemics.

Four new courses were recently added to the channel:

New courses available in the Health Inequality Monitoring channel

The Health Inequality Monitoring channel includes training courses about the foundations of health inequality monitoring, its application to specific topics and skill building. Three new courses became recently available to provide learners with practical guidance to the preparation of disaggregated data sourced from household surveys using different tools and softwares:

New training offerings added to the End TB channel

The End TB channel provides critical training on essential skills to facilitate the implementation of WHO’s End TB Strategy based on sound ethics principles and due protection of human rights. Two new courses were added to the catalogue:

Monthly newsletter

You can access the most recent newsletter here.

Best wishes, OpenWHO team

Cambodia the 50th country to host the National Bridging Workshop initiative


Cambodia recently hosted its National Bridging Workshop (NBW) for One Health, making it the 50th country to participate in this global initiative!

Stakeholders from animal health, animal health and environment sectors in Cambodia have gathered in Siem Reap for a workshop as part of efforts aimed at strengthening preparedness at the human-animal-environment interface.

NBW are three-day national events facilitated by WHO, WOAH and FAO, bringing together 50-120 participants from public health, animal health and environment sectors to analyse and discuss their collaboration. The key output is a joint, operational roadmap that the three sectors pledge to implement together to improve their collaboration in the prevention, detection and response to zoonotic diseases and other health events at the animal-human-environment interface.

Over 2,800 participants from around the world had the opportunity to take part in such an event, which helps strengthen collaboration among the various ministries involved in the One Health approach.

OpenWHO topical channel on One Health hosts a course which provides insight into some of WHO’s work at the animal-human-environment interface, including National Bridging Workshops (NBW). You can access the course here.

Celebrating World Humanitarian Day 2023


On 19 August, OpenWHO joins the international community in marking World Humanitarian Day and honouring humanitarians who work to deliver life-saving assistance to people in need, #NoMatterWhat.

Our free platform offers online courses on more than 230 public health topics, including learning resources relevant to humanitarian workers and the communities they serve. One recently launched resource is the Basic Emergency Care (BEC): Approach to the acutely ill and injured course for first contact health workers who manage acute illness and injury with limited resources, which was developed by WHO and International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), in collaboration with the International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM).

Well-trained first contact health workers are cornerstones of strong integrated health services to provide timely, quality care. BEC teaches a systematic approach to the initial assessment and management of time-sensitive critical conditions where early intervention saves lives.

Since its launch in 2015, the BEC course has been taught worldwide using a 5-day structure delivery through lectures, workbook questions, small-group case scenarios, multiple choice questions and skills stations. These modules on OpenWHO provide the essential knowledge covered in the 5-day course. The content is meant to be used as refresher material or as a ‘just-in-time' educational resource.

The course will take approximately 7 hours to complete. Participants have the opportunity to earn course certificates and digital badges to share their achievements.

Access the course here.

Course launched on National Action Plans for Health Security


To strengthen country capacity for Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience, Member States need to develop, implement and monitor National Action Plans for Health Security (NAPHS).

OpenWHO has launched a 2-hour introductory level course that provides a general overview of the NAPHS process and methodology. This includes the critical steps necessary to support the development, implementation and monitoring of 5-year strategic NAPHS, as well as 12/24 month operational NAPHS.

The target audience for this course is personnel responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of NAPHS. Participants have the opportunity to earn course certificates and digital badges to share their achievements.

Sign up here: National Action Plans for Health Security (NAPHS): Leveraging WHO's new integrated and holistic planning approach

In case you missed it: New video portal recaps OpenWHO global event


The OpenWHO team organized an online exhibition and experience-sharing event on 12 & 13 July 2023, showcasing how learners have used WHO’s free OpenWHO.org learning platform to protect public health in their communities.

A new portal is available with video recordings of the presentations given by OpenWHO learners and the posters highlighting their interventions so their stories can continue to be shared across the globe.

The portal includes open links to each case study for easy dissemination with your networks. Browse the mini-videos here.

#LearningSavesLives

New course available: Mpox and the 2022-2023 global outbreak


Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It can spread from person-to-person and through contact with infected animals in enzootic areas. The clinical presentation is similar to that seen in the past with smallpox but less severe.

In 2022 to 2023, there was a large global outbreak of mpox affecting more than 110 countries, primarily driven by human-to-human transmission through sexual contact. In just over a year, over 90 000 cases and 150 deaths were reported to the WHO.

A new OpenWHO course aims to provide a general overview of mpox, with a focus on new information on the disease and lessons learned from the global outbreak. It is intended for health workers and the public to help make informed decisions and take appropriate preventive measures to protect themselves against mpox.

This course is designed to complement the OpenWHO introductory training on mpox and the extended training on prevention and management of mpox. It can be viewed before or after the first two courses prepared prior to the global outbreak.

A Certificate of Achievement will be available to participants who score at least 80% of the total points available in the course assessment. Participants who receive a Certificate of Achievement can also download an Open Badge for this course.

Access the new mpox course here.

Be a friend. Spread the word.


30 July is International Day of Friendship!

Help your friends stay safe from public health threats by sharing our free OpenWHO online courses. Learning is available in 71 different languages.

  • Spread the word on LinkedIn here.

  • Read more about the International Day of Friendship here.

OpenWHO launches 31st Ukrainian language course


Ensuring universal access to immunization promotes better population health and improved outcomes across diverse aspects of development. Unfortunately, however, the benefits of vaccines are spread unevenly. Monitoring inequality in vaccination coverage is a way to identify where inequalities exist and where disadvantaged subgroups stand in terms of access to and utilization of health services.

A free online course has been launched in Ukrainian that examines the five general steps of inequality monitoring in the context of immunization programmes. The target audience is primarily monitoring and evaluation officers for immunization and people who have basic knowledge and experience working with immunization data.

The course was first released in English in December 2021. It is the 31st course in Ukrainian to launch on the OpenWHO learning platform in collaboration with the WHO Country Office in Ukraine.

You’re invited to our global virtual event


#LearningSavesLives: OpenWHO stories from across the globe

What: An online exhibition and experience-sharing event showcasing how learners have used WHO’s free OpenWHO.org learning platform to protect public health in their communities.

When: 12-13 July 2023, with daily sessions at 9:00-11:30 CEST and 15:00-17:30 CEST.

Where: Learning sessions will be held on Zoom. Register here.

In February 2023, OpenWHO issued a Call for Abstracts describing how the learning platform has been used in local, national or regional contexts, or how learning content has been adapted for use outside the platform.

OpenWHO reviewed 420 submissions from across the world and 40 finalists have been selected to present posters about their work at the virtual event.

Visit our event page to browse the planned presentation topics, access social media materials to help us spread the word and more!

Country-specific learning channel launched for Bangladesh


A new Bangladesh learning channel is now available on the OpenWHO platform in collaboration with the WHO Country Office in Bangladesh.

The channel currently hosts 3 courses in Bengali, with additional topics planned for the coming months. It is the 16th channel to launch as part of the Serving Countries portal, which provides countries with easy access to courses in their official languages to support their response to COVID-19 and other health threats.

You can view the other country-specific learning channels here.

New courses on OpenWHO this month


You’re invited to our global virtual event #LearningSavesLives: OpenWHO stories from across the globe

What: An online exhibition and experience-sharing event showcasing how learners have used WHO’s free OpenWHO.org learning platform to protect public health in their communities.

When: 12-13 July 2023, with daily sessions at 9:00-11:30 CEST and 15:00-17:30 CEST.

Where: Learning sessions will be held on Zoom and live streamed on YouTube. Register here .

In February 2023, OpenWHO issued a Call for Abstracts describing how the learning platform has been used in local, national or regional contexts, or how learning content has been adapted for use outside the platform.

OpenWHO reviewed 420 submissions from across the world and 40 finalists have been selected to present posters about their work at the virtual event.

Visit our event page to browse the planned presentation topics, access social media materials to help us spread the word and more!

New courses on OpenWHO this month

We are pleased to announce the following courses that were recently made available:

Mobile Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) installation: This course introduces basic concepts of satellite communications, as well of satellite transmission, and a step-by-step guide on how to set up three different models of WHO VSAT Quick Deployment Kits.

Environment, climate change and health for practitioners and actors guiding policy change: The course provides an introduction to environmental health, covering key facts, figures and available interventions on the most important environmental risks including climate change, air pollution, water, sanitation and hygiene, chemicals and others. It is tailor-made for key decision-makers at national, regional and municipal levels, government officials, community health workers, and UN and nongovernmental organizations planning or performing country work, among others.

Guidance on Operational Microplanning for COVID-19 Vaccination: This course is designed to equip learners with the knowledge, skills, confidence and resources to develop a comprehensive microplan for implementing COVID-19 vaccination that targets priority-use groups in a catchment area. It also provides guidance on integrating COVID-19 vaccination into planning for routine immunization and health system strengthening.

Harmonized Health Facility Assessment (HHFA) data analysis platform: This course introduces the analysis platform, showing how to use the platform to calculate indicators, create tables, charts and maps, and customize these outputs to suit country needs.

We are pleased to announce that OpenWHO now has a total of 209 courses with learning resources spread across 71 languages. All courses can be accessed here. You can use the toolbar to filter courses by language and topic.

New channel for infodemic management course series

The Infodemic Management channel includes training courses that provide an overview of the strategies, good practices, methods and tools that infodemic managers and all interested health workers can use in the field to prevent, prepare for and respond to infodemics.

As of now, the channel offers 3 courses. New topics and languages will gradually be added. Stay tuned!

New Bangladesh channel added to the Serving Countries corner

This portal offers learning resources to support a country's response to COVID-19 and other health threats. Created in collaboration with WHO Country Offices and Ministries of Health, resources based on WHO scientific guidance are available in each country’s official language(s) to empower frontline health workers, policymakers and the public. Bangladesh is the most recent addition to our Serving Countries portal.

Monthly newsletter

You can access the most recent newsletter here.

Best wishes,

OpenWHO team

Webinar to celebrate launch of online course on oral health for community health workers in WHO African Region


The WHO Regional Office for Africa in collaboration with the Harvard School of Dental Medicines has developed an online course on oral health for community health workers.

To celebrate, a webinar will be hosted on 7 July from 3-5 PM CET. This event will provide the opportunity to formally launch the course on OpenWHO by introducing the course content. It will describe how the course can contribute to strengthening the oral health workforce and discuss how to move to the implementation phase towards integration of the course as part of existing health system strengthening initiatives.

The event will be held in English with simultaneous interpretation in French and Portuguese.

Please register here.

Hope away from home: Online learning for World Refugee Day


On 20 June, let’s work together to give refugees hope away from home – the theme of this year's World Refugee Day.

Since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis, millions of people have fled Ukraine crossing international borders. OpenWHO offers a 30-minute course to support health workers in hosting and receiving countries to provide quality and safe care that is responsive to the health needs of people from Ukraine seeking health assistance.

By following this free course, health workers will be able to identify and employ culturally responsive behaviours, practices, communication techniques and strategies that are respectful of a person’s cultural, religious and linguistic needs in the everyday provision of health services to refugees and migrants from Ukraine.

  • Access the course here.
  • Learn more about World Refugee Day here.

5-course series on clinical management of survivors of rape and intimate partner violence


19 June is International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict.

OpenWHO offers a series of 5 courses that provide detailed guidance on the clinical management of survivors of rape and intimate partner violence:

This series is intended for qualified healthcare workers providing services to survivors of rape and intimate partner violence in humanitarian emergencies. It considers available resources, materials, drugs, and national policies and procedures.

You can learn more about International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict here.

39 public health courses available in Russian


As we observe Russian Language Day on 6 June, OpenWHO invites you to join one of our 39 free online courses offered in Russian. This includes courses to support the response to disease outbreaks, such as influenza and mpox, as well as additional health topics like vaccine safety and tobacco regulation.

The purpose of the United Nations (UN) language days is to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity, and promote equal use of all 6 official languages throughout the UN. You can learn more about Russian Language Day here.

Online learning for World No Tobacco Day


As we mark World No Tobacco Day on 31 May, we encourage you to join our free online courses on tobacco product regulation. Both courses are available in English, French and Russian and offer the opportunity to earn certificates and digital badges to share your achievements.

  • Tobacco product regulation: Basic handbook (3 hours). Although tobacco use is a major public health problem, tobacco products are one of the few openly available consumer products that are virtually unregulated in many countries for contents, emissions and design features. In recent years, health authorities have become increasingly interested in the potential of tobacco product regulation to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with tobacco use. However, barriers to implementing appropriate regulation include limited understanding of common approaches or best practices, and a lack of adequate resources and/or technical capacity. In this 3-part course, you will first review the basics of tobacco product regulation and international guidance (Sections 1-2), steps to assessing regulatory needs and capacity and regulatory considerations (Sections 3-4), and finally, implementation and potential challenges, novel, new and modified tobacco or related products, and testing and disclosure (Sections 5-7).

  • Tobacco product regulation: Building laboratory testing capacity (2 hours). This course provides practical, stepwise approaches to implementing tobacco testing to improve tobacco product regulation. Such guidance is relevant to a wide range of countries in various settings, even those with inadequate resources to establish a testing facility. In this 6-section course, you will review testing in the context of a country's regulatory authority, 3 possible routes to a testing laboratory, contracting with an external laboratory, using an existing internal testing laboratory, developing a tobacco-exclusive testing laboratory, and WHO TobLabNet Membership (criteria, advantages and procedures).

You can learn more about World No Tobacco Day and this year's theme - grow food, not tobacco - on the WHO campaign site here.

Training opportunity: Whole-of-society approach to creating healthy, resilient and sustainable cities


We invite you to register for the joint certificate training programme on the “Whole-of-society approach to creating healthy, resilient and sustainable cities: Harnessing South-South Cooperation for a post-COVID era”. This is the 4th edition of a programme organized annually by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Global Education and Training Institute (UNDRR GETI), UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), World Health Organization (WHO) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Enrolling in the training is free; however, registration is limited to up to 1000 participants on a first-come first-served basis.

The training will take place on 7, 14, 21 and 27 June 2023 at 14:00 CET through the UNOSSC virtual training platform (access link will be provided to course registrants only).

The sessions will be held in English with simultaneous interpretation in Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

Participants who meet the following requirements will be awarded a certificate of completion: 1) 75% attendance; 2) complete a course evaluation survey; and 3) pass an end-of-course exam with a score of 80% or above.

Please register here. Interested participants must complete the registration form by Wednesday, 31 May 2023.

Learn how your clean hands protect your patients


The hands of health care workers play a critical role in keeping patients safe. As we mark World Hand Hygiene Day on 5 May, join our free online course to learn how – Available in 18 languages!

The 1-hour course provides a certificate and digital badge to participants who receive at least 70% on the post-test.

You can learn more about World Hand Hygiene Day here.

Sign up for our malaria elimination course on World Malaria Day


On 25 April, we invite you to observe World Malaria Day by joining the 11 000 learners enrolled in our free malaria elimination course. The course was just launched in French, adding to the English version released last year and expanding access to new learners.

All malaria programmes at national or subnational level need to be oriented to the activities and dynamic strategies required to achieve interruption of transmission, prevent re-establishment and achieve WHO certification. The course covers all relevant technical areas, including but not limited to malaria parasite biology, immunology and epidemiology; surveillance and response; case management; vector control and entomological surveillance; acceleration strategies; stratification to tailor interventions; and management and planning of an elimination programme.

The curriculum aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate a programme for malaria elimination and prevention of re-establishment of transmission. It is designed for health professionals responsible for planning, managing, implementing or evaluating malaria programmes or malaria elimination programmes.

A Confirmation of Participation is available to participants who complete 100% of the course material.

You can learn more about World Malaria Day and the 2023 theme “Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement” here.

World Immunization Week: Spotlight on inequality monitoring in immunization course


World Immunization Week is celebrated the last week of April to highlight the collective action needed to protect people from vaccine-preventable diseases.

The theme of 2023 is 'The Big Catch-Up': We need to act now to catch-up the millions of children who missed out on vaccines during the pandemic, restore essential immunization coverage to at least 2019 levels and strengthen primary health care to deliver immunization.

As we observe World Immunization Week, we invite you to participate in one of our free online courses on immunization, including our inequality monitoring in immunization course.

Ensuring universal access to immunization promotes better population health and improved outcomes across diverse aspects of development. Unfortunately, however, the benefits of vaccines are spread unevenly. Monitoring inequality in vaccination coverage is a way to identify where inequalities exist and where disadvantaged subgroups stand in terms of access to and utilization of health services.

This 2-hour course introduces the general steps of inequality monitoring in immunization, which should be an integral part of a country’s immunization programme. A Record of Achievement and digital badge are available to participants who score at least 80% of the total points available in the final assessment.

You can learn more about World Immunization Week here.

Course introduces WHO’s new policy on preventing and addressing sexual misconduct


WHO’s new policy on preventing and addressing sexual misconduct, which came into effect on 8 March 2023, enhances WHO’s legal and accountability frameworks for achieving zero tolerance for sexual misconduct and inaction against it. The umbrella term “sexual misconduct”, as introduced in WHO by the policy, encompasses all forms of prohibited sexual behaviour by the Organization’s staff and collaborators. The policy has been consulted extensively both at the 3 levels of the Organization and with external stakeholders.

To introduce the new policy, a 1-hour learning package is now available on WHO’s free learning platform OpenWHO.org. The policy is intended to ensure that all staff and collaborators are held to a common standard of conduct, and that measures are taken to both prevent and address all forms of sexual misconduct. The course also introduces WHO's 3-year strategy that defines our vision, expected results and the 10 priority actions over the next 3 years.

The course is available in English, with the opportunity to earn a certificate and digital badge if participants score at least 80% on the final assessment. The presentations are available in French for download, and subtitles will be available soon.

Please note this is an interim course. A comprehensive training will be published later this year.

Marking Chinese, English and Spanish language days


This week, OpenWHO is celebrating 3 United Nations (UN) languages – Chinese, English and Spanish – as we observe their dedicated language days. The purpose of these language days is to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity and promote equal use of all 6 official languages throughout the UN.

  • On 20 April, we celebrate Chinese Language Day. You can access OpenWHO's 18 courses in Chinese here.
  • On 23 April, we celebrate both English Language Day and Spanish Language Day. OpenWHO offers more than 200 courses in English, available here, and 42 courses in Spanish, available here.

In total, OpenWHO provides free online courses in 68 national and local languages to make learning more accessible to communities across the globe.

New courses on OpenWHO this month


New channel for Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience (HEPR) course series

This new learning channel brings together resources for WHO, national counterparts and partners to outline the process of developing national investment plans to apply for additional resources, including Pandemic Fund resources.

A new course, resulting from a webinar series held by WHO in late March, has been made available to further support eligible countries, regional entities and implementing entities to develop full proposals for potential projects to be supported in this Pandemic Fund funding opportunity window, which is open until 19 May 2023. The recordings are available with subtitles in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

You can access the course here.

New courses on OpenWHO this month

We are pleased to announce the following courses that were recently made available:

WHO's New Policy and Strategy on Preventing and Addressing Sexual Misconduct: This course is an introductory learning package introducing the new WHO policy on preventing and addressing sexual misconduct. This an interim course; a more comprehensive training will be published later this year. The course is available in English and the presentations are available in French for download, with subtitles available soon.

Foresight Approaches in Global Public Health: This course provides an overview of various methods and tools that can be used to understand emerging trends and changes with a futuristic lens and to explore their potential impacts on global public health.

Inequality monitoring in sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (SRMNCAH): This course introduces the general steps of inequality monitoring in the context of SRMNCAH. The target audience is primarily people involved in national SRMNCAH monitoring and evaluation efforts, including officers, plus programme managers who have basic knowledge and experience working with SRMNCAH data.

Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (HEAT and HEAT Plus): This course provides a practical guide on how to use both HEAT and HEAT Plus to assess inequalities. The target audience is monitoring and evaluation officers, data analysts and other technical officers with an interest in data analysis and reporting.

We are pleased to announce that OpenWHO now has a total of 203 courses spread across 68 languages. Three new languages were launched in the last month: Bulgarian, Luo and Nigerian Pidgin. All courses can be accessed here. You can use the toolbar to filter courses by language and topic.

Marburg Virus Disease outbreak: Essential knowledge for outbreak response

Following the two simultaneous outbreaks of Marburg virus disease, one in Equatorial Guinea and in Tanzania, OpenWHO expedited the translation of its introductory Marburg course into the national and local languages of the affected regions.

The course is now available in English, French, Luo, Spanish and Swahili.

OpenWHO named 2023 Learning Platform of the Year

OpenWHO has been recognized as the Learning Platform of the Year at the 2023 Learning Awards. The awards are billed as “the highest accolade you can receive in workplace learning and development.”

The platform received recognition in view of its significant reach and impact during its first pandemic test: “We have empowered millions of people across the globe with knowledge to protect themselves and their communities, furthering WHO’s mission and establishing OpenWHO’s role as an effective knowledge-transfer platform for future pandemics,” the submission said.

As of April 2023, the OpenWHO learning platform provides more than 200 self-paced public health courses from WHO experts, including 46 for the COVID-19 pandemic, with a total of 7.6 million enrolments.

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the World Health Organization

On 7 April 2023 - World Health Day - the World Health Organization celebrated its 75th anniversary. 75 years ago, countries of the world came together and founded WHO to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable – so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health and well-being. 

Visit the WHO 75 campaign page to learn more about this anniversary and WHO's work to achieve Health For All.

Monthly newsletter

You can access the most recent newsletter here.

Best wishes,

OpenWHO team

Webinar opportunity: Launch of Special Issue on Inequality in Immunization


Please save the date for a webinar on 25 April 2023, 13:00-14:15 CET, to launch a Special Issue on Inequality in Immunization, which is newly published in the journal Vaccines.

Register for the webinar here!

Immunization has been an exemplar in global collaborative efforts to advance health and social development. It is also a cornerstone of the world’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and the imperative of “leaving no one behind.” Notwithstanding critical gains made in improving immunization coverage in the past few decades, recent evidence suggests that inequities persist owing to a complex set of drivers, that are not yet fully understood. Context sensitive pathways and strategies are needed to truly universalize immunization; existing efforts do offer some insights in this regard.

Published in the international MDPI journal Vaccines, this special issue on inequalities and immunization places emphasis on dimensions of inequalities alongside drivers of inequity, while also starting to train the spotlight on pathways towards immunization equity drawing from individual country and globally networked initiatives.

The special issue has been a collaborative effort led by Ahmad Reza Hosseinpoor with Devaki Nambiar of the Department of Data and Analytics (World Health Organization), in collaboration with Carolina Danovaro-Holliday from the Department of Immunization, Vaccines, and Biologicals (World Health Organization), Hope Johnson (Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance), and Aaron Wallace (US Centres for Disease Control).

Aligned with the commemoration of World Immunization Week, the launch of this special issue includes reflection on ‘the Big Catch Up’ (this year’s theme), while also signalling the centrality of equity in meeting our global commitments to universalizing immunization.

The webinar will feature video contributions from authors of the Special issue, insights and reflections from editors, with an open session for questions and answers.

If you would like to receive periodic emails from the WHO Health Inequality Monitoring team about events, resources and training opportunities, please sign up here.

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the World Health Organization


On 7 April 2023 we are observing a milestone World Health Day: 75 years ago, countries of the world came together and founded WHO to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable – so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health and well-being. 

Visit the WHO 75 campaign page to learn more about this anniversary and WHO's work to achieve Health For All.

Learning is critical to Health For All so we also encourage you to spread the word about OpenWHO's 200+ free online courses with your networks. Wishing all our learners a happy World Health Day!

#HealthForAll #WHO75

Now with subtitles in 7 languages: Pandemic Fund webinar videos


WHO held a series of webinars in late March to outline the tools countries can use and the approaches they can take to develop Pandemic Fund proposals as part of broader national plans for health emergency preparedness, prevention and response. The full 5-day series is available on OpenWHO with computer-generated subtitles in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, thanks to an expedited production process.

There is an urgent need for coordinated action to build stronger health systems and mobilize additional resources for health emergency preparedness, response and resilience (HEPR). This course will help countries to develop national health emergency investment plans, based on analyses of capacities, risks and vulnerabilities, to mobilize and access new sources of funding and technical support for strengthening HEPR, including from the new Pandemic Fund.

The Pandemic Fund will provide a dedicated stream of additional, long-term financing to strengthen critical HEPR capabilities in low-income and middle-income countries through investments and technical support at the national, regional and global levels.

Fully translated versions of the webinar materials will also be published on the HEPR learning channel in the coming weeks.