Governance
Independence is not assumed. It is designed.
The Institute separates its constitutive functions, strategic oversight and operational management in order to protect analytical independence and ensure fiduciary accountability.
General Assembly
The supreme organ of the association, comprising all members. It adopts and amends the statutes, elects the Governing Board and approves the annual accounts and budget. Membership is by invitation, and no membership fees are levied.
Governing Board
Holds strategic oversight and fiduciary responsibility. Members serve in a personal capacity, on an honorary basis and without remuneration, for three-year terms renewable once. They do not represent donors or institutional constituencies.
Executive Director
Responsible for operational management: implementing the strategy approved by the Board, overseeing research programmes, managing partnerships and ensuring financial and legal compliance.
Governing Board
Founding members and directors
The five founding members constituted the association on 14 July 2026 and serve as its first Governing Board.
Jorma Rantanen
Professor and Director-General emeritus of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, which he led for 30 years. Two-term President of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) and long-standing adviser to WHO, the ILO and the European Union.
Rifat Hossain
Founder of the Institute. Nearly two decades at WHO in data, health intelligence and refugee-health monitoring. Convenes the Board and leads operational management.
Rokho Kim
Medical doctor and environmental-health epidemiologist. Former WHO scientist at headquarters, the Regional Office for Europe and the Western Pacific, with a record of large-scale resource mobilisation for climate-resilient health systems.
Thomas H. Gassert
Occupational and environmental physician (Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health). WHO consultant on workplace and environmental health and professional training.
Md Wahid-Uz-Zaman
Retired Major General, Bangladesh Army, Corps of Engineers. Former Commandant of the Military Institute of Science and Technology and former Director-General of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.
Safeguards
How independence is protected
Conflicts of interest
Board members, the Executive Director and staff make written conflict-of-interest declarations. Where a conflict arises, the person concerned withdraws from the deliberation and the decision.
Donor transparency and independence
Funding sources are disclosed. Donors may not control analytical conclusions, suppress findings, influence editorial decisions or appoint Board members.
Funding diversification
From the second financial year, no single donor may account for more than 40 percent of annual income. Advisory and contract revenue may not exceed 60 percent.
Publication autonomy
Every funding agreement safeguards publication autonomy. The Institute commits to at least one flagship publication each year that is not tied to donor-commissioned funding.
Two-signature rule
The association is bound only by the joint signature of two persons, one of whom must be the Executive Director or the Chairperson.
Asset lock
On dissolution, the Institute's assets pass to another Swiss tax-exempt organisation with similar public-interest objectives, never to private parties.
Governance review. Within 24 months of establishment, the Governing Board will conduct a formal review of institutional independence, leadership structure, financial sustainability and compliance with the statutory purpose.
Funding
What we accept, and what we decline
Accepted sources
- Public research funders, foundations and philanthropies
- Competitive grants
- Multilateral and government research contracts aligned with the statutory purpose
- Advisory fees for work aligned with the statutory purpose
Declined or conditional
- Funding that conditions analytical conclusions or publication
- Donors seeking appointment to the Board
- Commercial sponsorship of AI products
- Sources that create a risk to reputation or independence
Questions
Frequently asked
Is the Institute a consultancy?
No. Advisory work is permitted only where it serves the statutory purpose, and it is capped at 60 percent of income so that analysis remains the primary function. Publication autonomy is guaranteed in funding agreements, and the Board may decline engagements that compromise the mission.
Does it duplicate the work of multilateral organisations?
No. The Institute does not issue normative standards, run operational programmes or take on regulatory roles. It is a complementary analytical platform, and its relationship to multilateral institutions is one of independent analytical contribution.
How is dependence on the founders limited?
Governance rests with a five-member Board whose members serve in a personal capacity. The Executive Director works under Board oversight. Fixed terms, separation of roles, succession planning and a governance review within 24 months reduce concentration risk.
How is donor influence prevented in practice?
Funding agreements protect publication rights. No donor may dominate funding or appoint Board members. Funding sources are disclosed, and the Board may end arrangements that compromise independence.
Is the AI work commercially oriented?
No. The Institute does not develop proprietary AI products. Its AI work is confined to governance standards, methodological transparency and ethical integration within public systems.
Is the mandate mainly about health?
Health is the entry point, but the framework is structural and cross-sectoral. Education, labour, social protection, statistical governance and digital inclusion all feature substantively.