WHO convened the first training programme to develop a roster of Good Governance for Medicines (GGM) experts.

The Good Governance for Medicines programme is currently being implemented in 26 countries, including five from the Eastern Mediterranean Region.  Jordan and Lebanon have drafted national Good Governance for Medicines frameworks while Morocco and the Syrian Arab Republic have completed national assessments on transparency and vulnerability to corruption and are preparing for the next phase.

In order to maintain the momentum created in these countries and ensure that the programme becomes sustainable, a greater number of GGM experts are needed. A training course has been designed with the goal of building that capacity. The objective of the GGM human resource training is to train a pool of individuals, already involved in the GGM programme, to act as GGM resources for their own country and/or other countries. Six individuals from the Region will participate in this training, including three WHO staff members and three nationals from GGM-supported countries, namely Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic and Morocco.

The workshop agenda started with a basic overview of the ethical framework concept and methods for socializing it. The framework’s top-down and bottom-up strategies formed the core of the workshop. Topics such as transparency, anti-corruption legislation, whistle blowing, sanctions and conflict of interest were examples of the top-down strategy components covered. Bottom-up incorporation of human values and ethical principles was explained to participants through the concept of moral leadership. Finally, participants received hands-on training in facilitation skills which included presentation, coaching and evaluation skills.

The workshop convened with consensus on the future roles of GGM human resources, which will be to support countries to implement phases II and III of the GGM  programme, including providing technical support for national GGM workshops, and training and coaching national GGM teams through regular visits to new GGM countries.