Please join us for a global webinar presenting the consultation draft of the WHO Global Standards for Long-Term Care – the first global standards for the quality of long-term care for older people – and how to take part in the public consultation, open until 30 October 2026.
Approximately two-thirds of people who reach older age will need care and support from others at some point in time, and Member States, through the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030), have emphasized that access to good-quality long-term care is essential for older people to enjoy their basic human rights, fundamental freedoms and human dignity. Yet long-term care in many countries remains fragmented and of uneven quality, with no global normative reference against which its quality can be defined, delivered and improved.
The consultation draft – 34 standards and 106 quality statements organized in eight chapters – was released on 18 May 2026 to respond to this gap, and all interested individuals and organizations are invited to review it and submit feedback.
This webinar will:
- present the consultation draft – its scope, structure and intended use;
- explain how to take part in the consultation, through which channels and by when;
- hear reflections from international partners and national institutions engaged in long-term care; and
- open the floor for questions and discussion.
Audience
The webinar is open to the public. It will be of particular interest to policy-makers and programme managers in health, social care and long-term care; regulators, standards and accreditation bodies; care providers and the care workforce; unpaid carers and organizations of older people; researchers and educators; civil society organizations; and UN and development partners working on ageing and care.
The programme with confirmed speakers will be shared with registered participants ahead of the webinar.
For questions about the webinar or the consultation, please contact ltc@who.int.