The Global Network for Academic Public Health (GNAPH) was pleased to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Health Organization (WHO) to continue our work to support WHO’s national workforce capacity for the essential public health functions roadmap.
GNAPH’s founding president, Laura Magaña, co-led the development of the report on the Global Competency and Outcomes Framework for the Essential Public Health Functions. In June 2025, she also published, with esteemed colleagues from WHO and partner organizations, an article in Education for Health on the Development of the World Health Organization Global competency and outcomes framework for the Essential Public Health Functions. This work responds to the urgent need to align public health education with the real-world demands of an increasingly complex and interdependent global health landscape. With 21 competencies and 40 practice activities, the framework offers a unified, adaptable structure to strengthen the public health and emergency workforce across all regions and roles. This framework is an essential resource to advance competency-based education for stronger, more equitable public health systems.
GNAPH looks forward to continuing our collaboration with WHO on this important initiative.
Watch Dr. Tedros’ message about the MOU: