The WHO Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) Programmes (WHO/HHS) works across all 3 levels of WHO – headquarters, regional offices and country offices – and with countries and partners, to drive progress towards eliminating HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs as public health threats by 2030.
The work of WHO/HHS is guided by the Global Health Sector Strategies on, respectively, HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections for the period 2022-2030 (GHSS). The new strategies propose a common vision to end epidemics and advance universal health coverage, primary health care and health security in a world where all people have access to high-quality, evidence-based and people-centred health services. The GHSS promote the disease-specific goals to end AIDS and the epidemics of viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections by 2030, with following 5 strategic directions providing the overall guiding framework for achieving these goals:
WHO/HHS works in a matrix team structure to strengthen integration within and across the disease programmes and functions managed by the department. The matrix structure encourages technical teams – responsible for the development, dissemination and implementation of global public health goods – to work closely with disease specific teams – responsible for advocacy, partnerships, WHO-wide coordination and technical support to countries. This includes the effective management of donor and strategic technical partner grants from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), USAID, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Unitaid, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and specific Member States who support our work. WHO is a founding member of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.
In addition to developing norms and standards, the technical teams also support the development of research and innovation agendas, including landscape analyses and systematic reviews. Cross-cutting planning, management and communications support is provided across the department.
Director
Dr Rachel Clare Baggaley
Unit Head, Testing, Prevention and Populations
Mrs Adriana De Putter
Unit Head, Policy, Planning and Management
Dr Daniel Low-Beer
Unit Head, Strategic Information Analysis & Use
Dr Morkor Newman Owiredu
Unit Head (a.i.), Treatment, Care and Service Delivery
Dr Mazuwa Andrew Banda
Cross-Cutting Lead HIV
Dr Olufunmilayo Lesi
Cross-cutting Lead Hepatitis
Dr Teodora Elvira Wi
Cross-cutting Lead STIs
World Health Organization
20, Avenue Appia
1211 Geneva, 27 Switzerland
WHO/HHS serves as the secretariat to the Strategic and Technical Advisory Committee on HIV, and Viral Hepatitis which most recently met in October 2021, alongside global experts in STIs. In 2022, the committee was renewed and renamed to include an additional focus on STIs and to support development of the 2022–2030 global health sector strategies on HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs. It is now called the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on HIV, Viral Hepatitis and STIs (STAG-HHS).