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World Hearing Forum

External Relations

Hearing touches education, ageing, workplaces, music and technology. External Relations opens the Forum to organisations outside the traditional ear and hearing care field, so that hearing care is heard where decisions are made.

Led by co-chairs Peter Thorne and Paige Stringer

Join the workstreamJoin the Forum

Our goal

Expand the reach of the World Hearing Forum to include organizations outside the traditional ear and hearing care field. Embrace a broader group of aligned stakeholders and interests to enhance global advocacy for ear and hearing care.
Almost US$ 1 trillion
annual global cost of unaddressed hearing loss, felt far beyond the health sector

Source: WHO fact sheet, March 2026

80%
of people with disabling hearing loss live in low- and middle-income countries

Source: WHO fact sheet, March 2026

1 : 16
return on every dollar invested in ear and hearing care over ten years

Source: WHO fact sheet, March 2026

Hearing care is decided in rooms where nobody works in hearing care

  • Education

    Teachers and schools, where undetected hearing loss shows up as struggling learners.

  • Healthy ageing

    Around one in three people over 60 has hearing loss. Ageing networks reach them first.

  • Workplaces

    Occupational health and safety bodies, where noise is a daily hazard for millions.

  • Technology

    Device makers and platforms that can build safe listening into what people already use.

  • Music and entertainment

    Venues, festivals, broadcasters and artists who set the volume for a generation.

  • Sport

    Clubs and federations that can make crowds, coaching and stadiums safer for hearing.

  • Disability and human rights

    Organisations that put access, inclusion and dignity on national agendas.

  • Cities and transport

    Planners and operators who decide how loud everyday life is.

How partnership works

For organisations outside hearing care.

  1. 1. Find the overlap

    Where does hearing already matter to your mission: learning outcomes, safety records, customer wellbeing?

  2. 2. Bring your reach

    Members carry WHO messages to audiences that hearing care alone cannot reach.

  3. 3. Stay in the room

    Join the Forum, take part in a workstream, and shape the agenda from inside.

What we are working towards

The workstream’s objectives as agreed with WHO, and how progress is measured against them.

  1. 01

    Build synergistic relationships with organizations outside the traditional ear and hearing care field to raise awareness for, and extend the reach of, the World Hearing Forum and its key messages.

  2. 02

    Serve as a liaison with external groups to promote ear and hearing care topics among their constituents and within global health.

  3. 03

    Raise membership of external groups in the World Hearing Forum to bring diversity and voice to the range of audiences touched by issues of ear and hearing care.

Achievements so far

Achievements will be published here as the workstream reports them.

How progress is measured, 2024–2025

  • Establish an effective workstream organizational structure, good communication channels, and leadership.
  • Establish a database of prospective groups and develop processes and materials to enable effective engagement.
  • Undertake promotional activities with new external partners and successfully recruit new groups to the WHF meeting in 2025.
  • Engage in at least one cross-workstream activity each year.

Join the External Relations workstream

Forum members can join this workstream and take part in its meetings and activities. Write to the workstream and say what you would like to contribute.

Email whf@who.int

Not a member yet? See how to join the Forum

Resources

Other workstreams