Advancing Trust for Emergency Preparedness and Response: What Needs to Be Done?
Increasing trust across borders, sectors, institutions, and stakeholders is crucial to strengthen our readiness for future health emergencies. Trust is the glue that binds societies together, enabling effective collaboration and swift action in times of crisis. We need trust in institutions, health services, governments, scientists, and other key stakeholders to bring people together as we collectively prepare for and respond to emergencies.
The increasing complexity of the global emergency landscape requires that our trust-building processes take a whole-of-society approach and are community-driven. The Global Health Lab will convene a wide range of stakeholders – ranging from policymakers to public health practitioners – to co-lead discussions. The session aims to identify bottlenecks and solutions, as well as to promote solutions that foster trust for better emergency preparedness and response.
With a strong emphasis on strengthening global networks and country collaborations, the session will explore how to cultivate trust among policymakers, with different stakeholders, including the public, for more collaborative, informed, and inclusive decision-making. The session will also highlight the importance of enhancing community engagement to encourage actions and partnerships at the local level as critical parts of the solution. By placing people and communities at the center of decisions and actions, we can build stronger, more resilient, and inclusive health systems that deliver health for all.
Building Trust for Better Decision-Making in Health Emergencies from a Regional Perspective
Trust between different levels of governance is essential for better decision-making in public health emergencies. In times of crisis, coordination between local, national, and regional public health institutions is paramount to ensure that our responses to emergencies are efficient and effective.
Without trust as the cornerstone, public health efforts can be fragmented, leading to inefficiencies, delays, and ultimately, a compromised ability to protect our people and communities.
The WHO Pandemic and Epidemic Hub at the World Health Summit 2024: Building trust together
This panel session will bring together high-level policymakers from several regional public health agencies to discuss the common challenges and opportunities in building trust across different levels of governance. The session will highlight the critical role of regional public health agencies in balancing diverse country needs, while strengthening overall global coordination. By fostering dialogue and the open sharing of experience, the session aims to identify concrete pathways to build trust across all levels, enabling the global community to respond to health emergencies with better coordination, enhanced resilience, and greater effectiveness.
The session will also explore how the World Health Organization (WHO) can leverage its unique convening power to build trust among countries, regional public health agencies and partners, facilitate knowledge exchange and experience sharing, and enhance coordination and collaboration as we strengthen global preparedness for future health emergencies.