The World Health Organization (WHO) and Noora Health have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance global support for family caregivers – an often overlooked but vital component of health systems.
This strategic collaboration, formalized during the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva in May 2025, underscores the growing recognition of the essential role families play in delivering care across the life course. Representing the partners at the MoU signing were Dr Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General for Universal Health Coverage – Life Course at WHO, and Dr Shahed Alam, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Noora Health.
The partnership aligns with key global health priorities, including the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's, and Adolescents' Health, the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030), and the Rehabilitation 2030 initiative.
Through this MoU, WHO and Noora Health will focus on three core areas:
1) creating training materials to improve caregiver knowledge and self-care practices for mothers, children, adolescents, and older adults;
2) building a strong evidence base to inform policies and training and strengthen family caregiver-inclusive health systems globally; and
3) conducting research and analysis to better understand and support the needs of family caregivers globally.
Noora Health, a non-profit organization, has trained over 30 million caregivers across South Asia and South-East Asia, equipping families with the skills and knowledge to care for loved ones at home. Its work is rooted in the belief that families play a critical, although frequently undervalued and neglected, role in care delivery systems.
This partnership marks a critical step forward in embedding family caregiving into mainstream health policy and practice, with the shared goal of improving outcomes and strengthening health systems worldwide.
Note for editors
WHO Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing (MCA)
MCA leads global efforts to promote health and well-being across all stages of life – from pregnancy and childbirth to adolescence and ageing. Its vision is to ensure that every pregnant woman, mother, newborn, child, adolescent, and older person not only survives but thrives, enjoying the highest attainable standard of health and development.
To achieve this, MCA provides strategic leadership, advocates for equity, and coordinates global partnerships. It works to reduce health risks through multisectoral action, generates and synthesizes evidence, and develops normative guidelines and human rights-based policies. The Department also supports countries in implementing these strategies and monitors progress to ensure lasting impact on health, growth, and well-being across the life course.
Noora Health
Since 2014, Noora Health has empowered over 30 million family caregivers and patients across Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Nepal through its innovative training programmes. At the heart of Noora Health's approach is the recognition of family members as essential caregivers. By equipping them with critical health knowledge and skills – both in hospitals and at home through a robust digital platform – Noora Health strengthens the broader care ecosystem, eases the burden on health workers, and improves community-wide understanding of health care, recovery, and prevention.
