29 June 2000

Terms of Reference

Interagency Theme Group[1] (IATG-Health/Russia)
on Health Sector Co-ordination in Russia

1.    Background

Since spring 1999, the health sector agencies (United Nations and donor-driven), projects, non-governmental-organizations (NGOs), and interested embassy-representatives have every month met and discussed their ongoing activities in the health sector. They have shared information on timely topics of Russian health and health care, which they together with their national counterparts want to make better for the people who are living in this country. This forum has brought together by WHO acting as secretariat and meeting in the premises of the Delegation of the European Commission aims to make the work of participating agencies, organizations and individuals more effective and better coordinated.

The UN Resident Coordinator ad interim, Mr. Jean-Victor Gruat (ILO) has vigorously started to revitalize the collaboration between Moscow based UN and other agencies. It was suggested that in addition to the already existing HIV/AIDS (Chair UNAIDS), Environment (Chair UNDP) and Health (Interagency Health Coordination Meetings managed by WHO) theme groups, the following new UN theme groups would be established:

        Youth (UNICEF)

·        From Humanitarian Relief to Development (UNHCR)

·        Poverty (ILO)

·        Democracy and Governance / incl. Human rights (UNESCO)

·        Migration  (IOM)/ possibly including population (UNFPA)

The purpose of these Terms of Reference is to consolidate the role and activities of the Interagency Health Coordination Meetings. Their framework was agreed upon in the first meeting on 25 March 1999, and this paper aims to consolidate and further clarify these principles.

3.    Overall aim:

The IATG-Health/Russia aims to improve the health status and well-being of the Russian people. In our work special emphasis will be on vulnerable groups, equity, and fairness.

4.   Tasks:

·        To share information  about on-going health and social sector projects (lessons learned);

·        To increase the relative share of health sector involvement in Russia;

·        To act as a forum among health sector agencies and organizations to have a better understanding about the key problems and, if needed, to have a common voice;

·        To avoid duplication of work;

·        To develop a data-base on health sector projects on-going in Russia;

5.    Meetings

The meetings are held by monthly basis (unless otherwise agreed and WHO acts as the meeting secretariat. Minutes are kept of the meetings and they are sent to all persons/organizations listed in the list of invitees.

6.   Additional remarks:

An IATG-Health/Russia Advisory Group will be established to provide additional guidance to the secretariat on the tasks and directions that the IARG-Health/Russia should take. It will bridge the gap between the broader and less formal group of the IATG-Health/Russia proper. The advisory group will act as a “think-tank” for the IATG-Health/Russia and prepares a general annual workplan for the IATG-Health/Russia to agree upon.