From words to action: Towards a community-centred approach to preparedness and response in health emergencies

Overview

A coordinated and considered community-centred approach taken by all actors across preparedness, response and recovery interventions is critical to reduce the spread of infectious disease. Interventions will only be their most effective when they are relevant, contextually appropriate and co-owned by affected populations and when two-way trust between providers and affected populations is established and respected. This is particularly true in fragile contexts in which trust in state authorities has been eroded, but also in the increasingly complex operational environments of the twenty-first century, characterized by increased migration, urbanization and population density, widening societal divisions and inequities, and climate change-related challenges. Whilst advances have been made in recent years, we remain sorely underprepared to tackle a global pandemic, and significantly greater investment needs to be dedicated to longer-term community engagement.