The World Health Organization (WHO) is releasing for public consultation the draft Global Standards for Long-Term Care – the first global framework of standards to guide the planning, delivery, monitoring and improvement of long-term care for older people. The release marks a key milestone under Action Area 4 of the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021–2030.
The consultation draft sets out standards across eight chapters: definitions and principles; home- and community-based care; facility-based care; support for unpaid carers; workforce; financing; governance; and quality monitoring. It is designed to be applicable across diverse national contexts, with particular attention to feasibility in contexts and settings diverse in their income, resources and formal long-term care system development.
WHO invites Member States, care providers and professional associations, organizations of older people and unpaid carers, civil society partners, academic and research institutions, and other interested stakeholders to review the consultation draft and share their views. Comments are sought on the relevance, comprehensiveness, clarity, feasibility and priorities of the proposed standards, as well as on the overall structure of the document.
Input can be provided through:
- an online consultation questionnaire, available in English from 18 May 2026, with the other five WHO official languages to follow in June 2026;
- written submissions to ltc@who.int; and
- regional and partner-convened consultation events held in each WHO region during the consultation period.
The consultation runs from 18 May 2026 to 30 October 2026. All input will be analyzed and will inform the revision of the standards before the finalization and official publication. A summary of consultation findings will be published separately.
A formal launch event for the global consultation will be announced separately, once the consultation draft and questionnaire are available in all six WHO official languages.
For further information, contact ltc@who.int.
Submission deadline: 30 October 2026