Members are drawn from bilateral and international agencies, regional development banks, ministries of health and selected resource institutions. Their backgrounds cover public health and medicine, health economics, social sciences, public administration, and politics. The group is small and has a relatively stable membership in keeping with its chosen emphasis on informality and continuity. WHO provides the secretariat for the Forum. A current list of members is available.
Members meet twice per year at rotating venues.
The first meeting took place in Geneva in December 1993. Subsequent meetings were held in Brussels, Stockholm and Geneva. The next meeting is scheduled for July 1996 in London. New issues for further exploration identified at the last meeting are human resources policy, and developments in private financing and service provision. The discussion papers are available free of charge to those in developing countries, although a charge may be levied for multiple copies.