Meeting Report

GO WHO WORKSHOP TO IMPROVE GEOGRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF WHO STAFF

25 February 2017 , Republic of Korea GO WHO Workshop to Improve Geographical Representation of WHO Staff 25 February 2017 Seoul, Republic of Korea

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

REGIONAL OFFICE FOR THE WESTERN PACIFIC

RS/2017/GE/15(KOR) English only

MEETING REPORT

GO WHO WORKSHOP TO IMPROVE GEOGRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF WHO STAFF

Convened by:

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REGIONAL OFFICE FOR THE WESTERN PACIFIC

Seoul, Republic of Korea 25 February 2017

Not for sale

Printed and distributed by:

World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific Manila, Philippines

October 2017

NOTE

The views expressed in this report are those of the participants of the Go WHO Workshop to Improve Geographical Representation of WHO Staff and do not necessarily reflect the policies of the conveners.

This report has been prepared by the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific for Member States in the Region and for those who participated in the Go WHO Workshop to Improve Geographical Representation of WHO Staff in Seoul, Republic of Korea on 25 February 2017.

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CONTENTS

SUMMARY ...... 4 1. INTRODUCTION ...... 5 1.2 Meeting objectives and expected outcomes ...... 5 1.3 Participants ...... 6 2. PROCEEDINGS ...... 6 2.1 Overview ...... 6 2.2 Findings ...... 6 3. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 8 3.1 Conclusions ...... 8 3.2 Recommendations ...... 8 ANNEXES ...... 9

Annex 1. Workshop programme Annex 2. Go WHO Korea: workshop announcement Annex 3. Go WHO Korea: websites posting the workshop announcement Annex 4. Go WHO participants list

KEYWORDS: Health personnel/Capacity building/Staff development/Regional health planning

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SUMMARY

The human resources policy of the World Health Organization (WHO) calls for the recruitment of staff from as wide a geographic basis as possible. Four Member States in the Western Pacific Region including the Republic of Korea are listed as underrepresented countries. Member States have urged the WHO Secretariat to put more effort into addressing the issue of underrepresentation. As such, the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea, together with the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, convened a half-day workshop in Seoul on 25 February 2017 to encourage Korean national, English-speaking graduate students and health experts to build a career with WHO. The workshop was attended by 86 participants. Overall feedback from participants was positive. The workshops also provided opportunity for WHO to strengthen ties with participating agencies in the Republic of Korea.

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

The human resources policy of the World Health Organization (WHO) on recruiting personnel from “as wide a geographic basis as possible” aims to ensure the Organization’s work reflects and benefits from the contributions of all Member States. In the Western Pacific Region, there are four Member States—China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore—listed as underrepresented countries (WHO workforce data as of 31 December 2016).

 The desirable range for Chinese national staff is 46–63; the actual number is 36 staff members.

 The desirable range for Japanese national staff is 94–128; the actual number is 41 staff members.

 The desirable range for Republic of Korea national staff is 19–27; the actual number is 16 staff members.

 The desirable range for Singaporean national staff is 4–11; the actual number is 2 staff members.

During recent WHO governance meetings, including the 136th and 138th sessions of the Executive Board and the Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly, Member States urged the WHO Secretariat to put more effort into addressing the issue of underrepresentation.

The WHO Secretariat has observed that some applicants from underrepresented countries, while qualified, do not succeed in WHO's recruitment process. To respond to this issue, a half-day workshop, known as "Go WHO" was initiated in Japan in 2016. Japan's Minister of Health expressed appreciation of the workshop and the ministers of health of China and the Republic of Korea expressed their interest in WHO convening similar workshops in their countries.

1.2 Meeting objectives and expected outcomes

The objectives of the meeting were:

1) to attract talent from underrepresented countries with a large human resource gap; and

2) to coach young professionals on how to prepare should they wish to join WHO.

At the end of the meeting, participants were expected:

1) to be familiar with WHO's core functions and role in international and global health;

2) to be familiar with WHO's recruitment process;

3) to be familiar with WHO's competency model; and

4) to understand how to respond to written test for WHO vacancies and competency-based interview questions using the STAR (situation, task, action, result) model.

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1.3 Participants

Through an online system, 160 applicants registered their interest in attending the workshop. A target of 70 participants was set to ensure opportunity for interaction and active engagement of workshop attendees. Participants were screened based on their English skills, motivation and expectations for the workshop as well as being in the age range of WHO staff members (20–62 years). Of the 160 applicants, 111 were invited to attend the workshop. Eighty-six participants attended the Seoul workshop.

2. PROCEEDINGS

2.1 Overview

The workshop comprised three sessions:

1) Getting to know WHO; 2) Writing your resume and written test: briefing and exercise; and 3) Competency-based interviews: theory and practice.

Five WHO staff members, led by Mr Jeffery Kobza, Director of Administration and Finance, WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, guided the sessions. The workshop programme is available in Annex 1.

Dr Jong-Koo Lee, Director of the JW Lee Center for Global Medicine, and Mr Jaemon Park, Director of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, provided opening remarks. Dr Dong-il Ahn, a retired senior WHO staff member from the Republic of Korea, followed with a presentation on international health in the 21st century. Dr Lee also provided a message of encouragement to close the workshop.

The workshop objectives and expected outcomes were achieved through interactive sessions that included live polling, question and answer periods, audience participation and group work to practise competency-based interview skills.

2.2 Findings

2.2.1 Announcing the workshop, screening and selecting participants

A workshop announcement with a link to a registration form was posted on 22 websites (Annexes 2 and 3). Registration opened on 25 January and closed on 20 February 2017. Of the 160 applicants who registered their interest in attending the workshop, 111 passed the screening process and were invited to attend. Eighty-six participants attended the Seoul workshop. Brief participant details are available at Annex 4.

2.2.2 Quality of participation in the workshop

Participants were actively engaged throughout the workshop, particularly during the live polling and group work sessions. During the session on resume and written test preparation, participants were asked to answer an essay question. Participants were given the option to submit their response to WHO by email for informal feedback. About 30 out of 86 participants submitted their essay. Based on the experience of the Go WHO workshop in Japan in August 2016, the time allocated for the written test was reduced from 15 minutes to 10 minutes so as not to lose momentum during the workshop.

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Due to the shortened time frame, the answers were somewhat short and difficult to assess in terms of quality. However, most of the responses complied with "tips" given during the workshop, such as structuring the answer, using short paragraphs and sentences, applying direct communication and plain English, following the rule of three and using relevant examples and referencing.

Competency-based interviewing was a new concept for most participants. Some participants were able to provide good examples and use the STAR (situation, task, action, result and lessons learnt) model in their responses. Others became aware of the need to practise more to build their confidence and improve their English communication skills.

2.2.3 Interactive tools used to deliver the workshop

The Go WHO workshop complied with WHO's "green meeting" practices. All documentation for the workshop was delivered online to participants, initially by email from [email protected] and then by a closed Facebook group to encourage more discussion of the materials and interaction: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GoWHO/.

New to the Go WHO workshops, direct polling was introduced during this event. Participants were asked to access a link during the workshop and vote "Yes" or "No" on a series of questions to self-test their competencies in terms of what are required at the P3 level for WHO. More than 70 participants joined the live polling.

2.2.4 Monitoring and follow-up with participants

To monitor the success of the workshop, participants were asked to include in their WHO recruitment profile that they had attended the workshop. WHO's human resources team can monitor future applications to determine if workshop participants are applying for WHO positions.

The closed Facebook group will be used as a platform to stay in touch with and update participants on global health news and recruitment opportunities.

WHO sent an online feedback survey to participants two weeks after the workshop. A more preferable time frame for future surveys would be one to days after the workshop.

2.2.5 Logistical arrangements for the workshop

The JW Lee Center for Global Medicine managed logistical arrangements efficiently and effectively. These included inviting participants to attend the workshop, registering participants and distributing name cards, setting up meeting rooms for group work sessions, ensuring Internet access in meeting rooms to connect to Skype to show a model competency-based interview, and supplying refreshments for the break and networking session.

2.2.6 Reflection from WHO staff members and ways forward

Go WHO workshops convened in Japan in 2016 and the Republic of Korea in 2017 were learning opportunities not only for the participants, but also for WHO staff members. More than 60% of international staff in the Western Pacific Region are at least 40 years old when they join WHO. This statistic suggests that WHO is a specialized technical agency recruiting well-established technical experts. As such, junior public health experts need to plan their career pathway carefully if they wish to join WHO as a public health expert. On the other hand, given the changing global health landscape and the variety of work within the Organization, WHO may need to create more junior international posts (P1 to P3 levels).

This workshop has been successfully conducted in Japan and the Republic of Korea. Similar workshops could be applied to other underrepresented countries in the Western Pacific Region. The

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workshop may also be adapted for unrepresented countries in the Region, such as some Pacific island countries, and for countries with a low number of intern applicants.

3. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

3.1 Conclusions

Learning from the workshops in Japan, participant selection was more thorough for the workshop in the Republic of Korea. A new screening process led to the selection of a high-quality cohort of participants for the workshop. Participants responded well to the workshop content. They indicated satisfaction with the sessions and appreciated the interactive delivery of information. 3.2 Recommendations

(1) The Government of the Republic of Korea may consider exploring options to lead and/or co- organize local initiatives to offer follow-up opportunities for participants to develop their careers.

(2) To address the issue of underrepresentation, the Government of the Republic of Korea may consider developing a health workforce strategy to better understand the barriers to Korean nationals engaging in international work and to create more opportunities to engage.

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Annex 1. Workshop programme Time Session 12:30 Registration 13:00 Dr Jong-koo Lee – Opening remarks 13:05 Mr Jaeman Park, Director of International Cooperation, Ministry of Health and Welfare – Opening remarks 13:15 Dr Dong il Ahn – International health in the 21st century 13:30 Group photo 13:40 Ms Nicole Sarkis – Course orientation 13:45 Getting to know WHO Mr Jeffery Kobza – Working at WHO: how you can make a career of making a difference, an overview of WHO's work and objectives. Dr Kidong Park – Who WHO looks for: examples of people working at WHO and what the Organization looks for in candidates, employment benefits and career development with the Organization. Mr Eric Tagnon – WHO's recruitment process: from vacancy announcement to selection. 14:10 Writing CVs and essays: briefing and exercise Mr Tagnon – guidance on personal history forms: linking to the vacancy notice, words and best practices. Ms Nicole Sarkis – tips for the written test: the importance of timing, make your point first then rationalize, research the Office and team you're applying to, think about how the work of that team fits in with Organization-wide objectives and how they work for Member States. Assignment – participants will be given a question to answer, those wishing to receive feedback can include their email address on their answer sheet. Mr Sangkyun Han – reviewing a model test answer 15:10 Break 15:30 Competency-based interview: theory and practice Mr Tagnon – What to expect on the day of the interview, answering competency-based interview questions, providing examples, using the STAR model, displaying WHO competencies. Model interview – Skype connection with a WHO staff member in Manila to model a competency-based interview. Interview panel members: Mr Kobza, Dr Park and Mr Tagnon Dr You-Seon Nam – Introduction to the group work session 16:00 Practice – group work: participants putting skills into practice: WHO staff members lead groups of 10–20 participants. Participants take turns answering competency-based interview questions read by the WHO staff member. A different peer in the group provides feedback on each answer. 17:00 Dr Kidong Park – Summing up 17:15 Dr Jong-koo Lee – Message from the host institution 17:30 Networking session

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Annex 2. Go WHO Korea: workshop announcement

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Annex 3. Go WHO Korea: websites posting the workshop announcement

Site name Link International Organizations http://unrecruit.mofa.go.kr/community/notice_view.jsp Recruitment Center https://www.worldjob.or.kr/info/bbs/notice/view.do?menuId=10000 WORLDJOB 00049&bbscttNo=84527 Ministry of health and welfare http://blog.naver.com/mohw2016/220939775008 International Development https://www.facebook.com/groups/397329943636437/?fref=ts Cooperation and ODA http://unrecruit.mofa.go.kr/community/notice_view.jsp?seq=29595 Ministry of Foreign Affairs Human Resources Center https://www.facebook.com/mofaUNrecruit/?fref=ts http://www.kpha.or.kr/board/view.php?p_code=view&p_mbs=01- Korean Health Association 01-01&p_mid=1&p_pkid=6342 International Development http://www.ngokcoc.or.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=news09&wr_id Cooperation Public Consultation =274 Council SNU JW LEE Center for Global http://jwleecenter.org/notice/?uid=440&mod=document Medicine Open Network for Global Health https://www.facebook.com/groups/112884088777543/?fref=ts Practitioners IRIS: Innovation, Reformation, https://www.facebook.com/groups/IRIS4YOU/?fref=ts Incubation Services mH4D Open Network Korea https://www.facebook.com/groups/550497938310228/?fref=ts UN and international organizations https://www.facebook.com/groups/allintern/?fref=ts employment Cookie News (Kook-min Daily) http://www.kukinews.com/news/article.html?no=429525

News 1 http://news1.kr/articles/?2902019

Bridge Economy http://www.viva100.com/main/view.php?key=20170202010000895 http://sports.chosun.com/news/ntype.htm?id=201702030100029220 Sports Cho-seon 001792&servicedate=20170203 http://edu.donga.com/?p=article&ps=view&at_no=2017020113294 Edu-donga 1698179&ckattempt=1 Veritas Alpha http://www.veritas-a.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=73361

Medical observer http://www.monews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=97418 http://www.docdocdoc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=103851 A young doctor 9 http://medipana.com/news/news_viewer.asp?NewsNum=194808& Medifana MainKind=A&NewsKind=5&vCount=12&vKind=1 http://www.medical- Medical Tribune tribune.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=71129

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Annex 4. Go WHO participant list

Name Surname Academic Degrees Current Affiliation Hyungwoo Kim MD (Doctor of Local hospital Medicine) Jungwoo Lee MD / MPH McKinsey & Company Kyung Oh MD, MPH Korean Institute of Tuberculosis Hyun Young Jeong B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) PR consulting firm Bong Jik Kim MD, PhD Seoul National University Agnus Kim MD, M.S. Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University College of Medicine Ji-Woong Chung Master of Science Chonnam National University Jae Kyung Jo Ph.D (Doctor of Korean Health Promotion Institute Philosophy) In-Yeong Hwang Ph.D (Doctor of Government (Institute of Health and Philosophy Environment) Youji Park RN (Registered nurse) N/A Sunju Park M.A. International Vaccine Institute SeMi Choi International development and cooperation Ji Young Lee M.S in Healthcare Johns Hopkins University Management Jinah Jung MSc UCL School of Management Suran Park B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) KOICA ODA Young Professional at WFP Seoul Office Pureum Lee RN, Candidate of Kyoto University M.P.H. School of Public Health Hea Yoon Kwon MD (Doctor of Inha University Hospital Medicine) Hye min Moon MD (Doctor of Paediatrics Resident Medicine) Ye-Eun Hwang MA in International Political Affairs Officer at Trilateral Relations Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) Yeohyun Kim B.S. in Chemical and Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation Biological Engineering, and Planning M.S. in Biological Sciences Ji-young Kim Master of Statistics Chung-Nam University Seung-Mi Yoo Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service Hyoeun Choe Master of Science in Pfizer Korea Business Administration Yeonjoo La Master's degree N/A

Minji Song (1) B.A. in sociology Chungnam National University, (2) B.A. in business Medical School administration (3) presently pursuing a M.D. Minjun Choi B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) Pusan National University

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Name Surname Academic Degrees Current Affiliation Yoojeong Kang Registered Nurse and Seoul National University and Seoul prospective graduate National University Hospital of Master of Sicence Nursing Yunjin Jeon B.S. (Bachelor of KPMA Science) Hyun Lee B.S. (Bachelor of Science) Sangho Lee Student Woosuk university Jiyeon Park B.S. (Bachelor of National Health Insurance Service Science) Shinhwa RO RN (Registered nurse) None (preparing to go Saudi Arabia as a nurse) Soohee Lee B.S. (Bachelor of Sookmyung Women's University Science) Ji Soo Kim Doctor of medicine, Intern at Seoul National University Bachelor of Science Heesung Park Master of Public Zhejiang University Administration Siyoon Kim B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) Yeon Sun Shin B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) Seoul National University Wonbin Kim B.S. (Bachelor of Seoul National University Science) Jeongtaek Hong bachelor of public health student Yeonkyung Park B.S. (Bachelor of M.S. degree candidate in Chemical Science) and Biomolecular Engineering KAIST Haein Kim B.S. (Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Company Science) Jeonghye Pyon B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) CJ E&M Juhui Gim B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) Wonkwang University Jeonghyun Oh B.S. (Bachelor of Jung-Ang university of pharmacy Science) SaRang Park B.S. (Bachelor of International Vaccine Institute Science) Ahra Do Master of science Unindependent Yoonchae Zoh B.A., B.B.A., MD CHA medical School (expected) Minji Oh JD Yonsei Law School Jin A Kim Bachelor of Science, On Department of Preventive Medicine, the course College of Medicine, Korea in Master of Public University Health Hui Jin Shin MD (Doctor of Severance Hospital Medicine) Jihoo Lee MD (Doctor of Medical College of Dankook Medicine) University Sei Na Other (please specify) Junghye Choi RN (Registered nurse) None U Jin Cho B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) World Friends Korea Volunteer in Palawan Philippines Yaejin Wang B.S. (Bachelor of University of Central Florida Science)

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Name Surname Academic Degrees Current Affiliation Yoojin Kim B.S. (Bachelor of Medical school student Science) Seo Hee Park Studying, not graduated Duksung Women's University yet Jeong Hyun Park B.S. (Bachelor of School of Science) Medicine Junhee Park B.S. (Bachelor of CHA medical school Science) Han Eol Jeong B.S. (Bachelor of Seoul National University Science) Eunjae Hwang B.S. (Bachelor of School of Medicine, Science) Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea Jenny Kwon B.S. (Bachelor of Hospital for Special Surgery Science) So Young Jung B.S. (Bachelor of N/A Science) KwangHyun Ahn B.B (Bachelor of Business) Hye sung Song B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) Sookmyung Women`s University Shinyoung Park Currently enrolled in Yonsei University College of Yonsei University Dentistry College of Dentistry Program Yoonjung Roh B.S. (Bachelor of Senior Science) Heesoo Shin MD (Doctor of Severance hospital Amy Medicine) Sung-il Kim DVM Chungbuk National University, College of Veterinary Medicine Hyojin Chun Student Nursing Kunghee University Semi An Undergraduate Ewha Womans University Seulki Kwon undergraduate Yonsei University Kyungseo Oh student of college of Chungang University medicine Eunyoung Song B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) Student Junghye Park Bachelor of Social Junior Science Minjung Kwon B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) Seokyeong University uijeong kim sophomore in university student Heeso Lee Undergraduate Hallym university Seen Park B.S. (Bachelor of Student Young(Sana Science) JuHyun Lee Undergraduate Junior Jina Kim B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) DreamAsia(Non-Governmental Organization) Eunjean Kye B.A., M.A. in progress Seoul National University You Sun Kim MD (Doctor of seoul national university children's medicine), hospital, B.S. (bachelor of 3rd year residency science) Yeani Choi Master of Medicine Seoul National University College of candidate Medicine

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