Issued on: 30 July 2025
Opening call for applications from 30 July–12 September, extended from 30 August 2025
WHO welcomes expressions of interest for SAGO’s second term 2025-2027 from individuals with significant expertise in one or more of the technical disciplines listed below in order to ensure a multi-disciplinary One Health approach.
The call will open from 30 July–12 September 2025, closing at 24:00 Central European Summer Time (CEST; UTC +2) on 12 September 2025. Applications require a Curriculum Vitae, a cover letter, and signed Declaration of Interests form.
Background
There have been an increasing number of high threat pathogens emerging and re-emerging within recent decades; SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, Lassa, Marburg, Ebola, Nipah, swine influenza and multiple subtypes of avian influenza.
However, the recent emergence of SARS-CoV-2 which led to the COVID-19 pandemic was the most significant global public health event in a century. As well as highlighting the need for preparedness in all Member States it also accentuated the importance of rapidly identifying the source of novel pathogens and the need to apply a systematic process to identify the factors that contribute to their emergence and routes of transmission from their natural reservoirs into the human population.
To support WHO’s work in that regard, the Director-General established the WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins on Novel Pathogens (hereinafter referred to as ‘SAGO”) in November 2021, composed of up to 25 members with a wide range of expertise. The SAGO is composed of experts acting in a personal capacity, and is established in accordance with the WHO Regulations for Study and Scientific Groups, Collaborating Institutions and Other Mechanisms of Collaboration.
Since its establishment, during its first term (November 2021 to June 2025), the SAGO advised WHO on technical and scientific considerations regarding emerging and re-emerging pathogens, developed the Global Framework to define and guide studies into the origins of emerging and re-emerging pathogens of epidemic and pandemic potential, and provided the WHO with an independent evaluation of all available scientific and technical findings from global studies on the origins of SARS-CoV-2.
In its second term, the SAGO will continue to act as an advisory body to WHO in the context of both emergence of novel and re-emergence of known pathogens.
Functions of the SAGO – second term
In its capacity as an advisory body to WHO, the SAGO will have the following functions:
- To advise WHO on prioritizing studies and field investigations into the origins of emerging and re-emerging pathogens of epidemic and pandemic potential, in accordance with the Global framework developed by the SAGO published in 2024;
- To continue monitoring the origin of SARS-CoV-2, and, as appropriate, update the findings and recommendations contained in the SAGO’s Independent Assessment of the origins of SARS-CoV-2 published in June 2025 based on new data, research or other relevant information that is made available; and
- To provide additional advice and support to WHO, as requested by WHO, which may include participation in future WHO-international missions to study the origins of any novel or re-emerging pathogens.
The SAGO shall meet regularly and upon request of the WHO secretariat. SAGO meetings may be held primarily virtually, via video or teleconference, and periodically in person (at WHO headquarters in Geneva or another location, as determined by the WHO secretariat). SAGO meetings will be primarily held in closed sessions but may choose to be held in open sessions, as decided by the Chairperson in consultation with the WHO secretariat. The working language of the group will be English. WHO may, at its sole discretion, invite external individuals from time to time to attend the open sessions of an advisory group, or parts thereof, as “observers”. The SAGO may decide to establish smaller working groups (sub-groups of the SAGO) to work on specific issues. SAGO members are expected to attend meetings. Reports of each meeting shall be submitted by the SAGO to the WHO Director-General. All recommendations from the SAGO are advisory to WHO, who retains full control over any subsequent decisions or actions regarding any proposals, policy issues or other matters proposed by the SAGO. The SAGO shall normally make recommendations by consensus. The quorum for SAGO meetings shall be two thirds of the members.
Who can express interest?
The SAGO will be multidisciplinary, with members from a range of technical disciplines, with skills and experience relevant to emerging and re-emerging pathogens.
WHO welcomes expressions of interest from individuals with significant expertise in one or more of the following technical disciplines in order to ensure a multi-disciplinary One Health approach:
- infectious disease epidemiology and conducting epidemiological studies;
- field research;
- virology;
- ecology;
- molecular epidemiology;
- sero-epidemiology;
- medicine;
- bioinformatics;
- outbreak analytics;
- health statistics;
- microbiology;
- veterinary medicine;
- food safety;
- bacteriology;
- environmental science;
- biosafety;
- biosecurity;
- occupational health and safety;
- laboratory safety and security;
- ethics and social sciences;
- or other relevant experience related to the emergence or re-emergence of pathogens of pandemic potential.
Submitting your expression of interest
To register your interest in being considered for the SAGO, please submit the following documents by 12 September 2025 24:00 CEST (UTC+2) to SAGO@who.int using the subject line “Expression of interest for the SAGO-2”:
- A cover letter, indicating your motivation to apply and how you satisfy the selection criteria (maximum 500 words). Please note that, if selected, membership will be in a personal capacity. Therefore, please do not use the letterhead or other identification of your employer);
- Your curriculum vitae; and
- A signed and completed Declaration of Interests (DOI) form for WHO Experts.
After submission, your expression of interest will be reviewed by WHO. Due to an expected high volume of interest, only selected individuals will be informed.
Important information about the selection processes and conditions of appointment
Members of WHO advisory groups must be free of any real, potential or apparent conflicts of interest. To this end, applicants are required to complete the WHO Declaration of Interests for WHO Experts, and the selection as a member of the SAGO is, amongst other things, dependent on WHO determining that there is no conflict of interest or that any identified conflicts could be appropriately managed (in addition to WHO’s evaluation of an applicant’s experience, expertise and motivation and other criteria).
All SAGO members will serve in their individual expert capacity and shall not represent any governments, any commercial industries or entities, any research, academic or civil society organizations, or any other bodies, entities, institutions or organizations. They are expected to fully comply with the Code of Conduct for WHO Experts. SAGO members will be expected to sign and return a completed confidentiality undertaking prior to the beginning of the first meeting.
At any point during the process, telephone interviews may be scheduled between an applicant and the WHO Secretariat to enable WHO to ask questions relating to the applicant’s experience and expertise and/or to assess whether the applicant meets the criteria for membership in the relevant AG.
The selection of members of the SAGO will be made by WHO in its sole discretion, taking into account the following (non-exclusive) criteria: relevant technical expertise; experience in international and country policy work; previous participation in WHO international missions on studying the emergence of emerging and re-emerging pathogens; communication skills; and ability to work constructively with people from different cultural backgrounds and orientations. The SAGO members will also take account of the need for diverse perspectives from different regions, especially from low and middle-income countries, and for gender balance.
If selected by WHO, proposed members will be sent an invitation letter and a Memorandum of Agreement. Appointment as a member of the SAGO will be subject to the proposed member returning to WHO the countersigned copy of these two documents.
WHO reserves the right to accept or reject any expression of interest, to annul the open call process and reject all expressions of interest at any time without incurring any liability to the affected applicant or applicants and without any obligation to inform the affected applicant or applicants of the grounds for WHO's action. WHO may also decide, at any time, not to proceed with the establishment of the SAGO, disband an existing technical advisory group or modify the work of the SAGO.
WHO shall not in any way be obliged to reveal, or discuss with any applicant, how an expression of interest was assessed, or to provide any other information relating to the evaluation/selection process or to state the reasons for not choosing a member.
WHO may publish the names and a short biography of the selected individuals on the WHO internet.
SAGO members will not be remunerated for their services in relation to the SAGO or otherwise. Travel and accommodation expenses of SAGO members to participate in SAGO meetings will be covered by WHO in accordance with its applicable policies, rules and procedures.
The appointment will be limited in time as indicated in the letter of appointment.
If you have any questions about this “Call for experts”, please write to SAGO@who.int well in advance of the applicable deadline.