Wednesday, 23 September 2026, 13:00–14:00 (CEST)
Background
Health emergencies—including disease outbreaks, pandemics, climate-related events, humanitarian crises, and natural disasters—are increasing in frequency and complexity. As the first point of contact for most populations, primary health care (PHC) plays a critical role in engaging communities, detecting health threats early, protecting communities and health workers, maintaining essential health services, and supporting rapid emergency response.
Despite its central role, PHC is often insufficiently prepared and not systematically integrated into emergency preparedness and response planning. Lessons from disease outbreaks such as COVID-19, Mpox, Ebola, and other public health emergencies including floods and drought have highlighted gaps in surveillance, continuity of essential health services, infection prevention and control, and community engagement at the primary care level.
To address these challenges, WHO and Resolve to Save Lives developed the Emergency Ready Primary Health Care (ERPHC) Framework and Operational Guide, launched during the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in May 2026. The ERPHC approach strengthens PHC systems to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from health emergencies through four interconnected capacities:
- Connect – community engagement, trust, and risk communication
- Detect – surveillance and early warning at community and facility levels
- Protect – infection prevention and control and safe service delivery
- Treat – continuity of essential health services and emergency care
By embedding these capacities into PHC systems, countries can strengthen community protection, health security, and resilience while minimizing the health, social, and economic impacts of emergencies.
Objectives
- Examine how preparedness investments are translated into tangible capacities and results at country and regional levels;
- Explore implementation challenges and lessons learned from preparedness initiatives supported through different financing mechanisms;
- Showcase practical examples of how investments are strengthening preparedness capacities, including the health emergency workforce; and
- Facilitate dialogue on how countries and partners can maximize the impact and sustainability of preparedness investments.
Agenda and Speakers
Introduction: Dr Supriya Bezbaruah, EPI-WIN Lead, EPI-WIN Science and Knowledge Translation, WHO headquarters
Opening remarks: Dr Stella Chungong, Director, Health Emergency Preparedness Department, WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE)
Introducing the ERPHC Framework and Operational Guide: advancing community protection and resilience through PHC: Dr Kai von Harbou, Unit Head, Community Protection and Resilience, WHE
Country experiences and partnership perspectives on ERPHC implementation: Dr Stacey Mearns, Director Primary Health Care, Resolve to Save Lives
Panel Discussion: Operationalizing ERPHC in the countries in emergency response and across diverse settings and emergency contexts: Moderated by Dr Kwang Rim, Technical Officer, Community Protection and Resilience, WHE
Panelists: (TBC)
Q&A: All speakers - Moderated by Dr Lilian Kiapi, Principal Advisor, PHC Delivery and Measurement, Resolve to Save Lives
Closing: Moderated by EPI-WIN Science and Knowledge Translation, WHO
Registration