National health emergency alert and response framework

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published the National Health Emergency Alert and Response Framework (2025), a comprehensive guide designed to help countries strengthen their capacity to detect, assess and respond to health emergencies.

Building on lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic, the framework aligns with WHO’s Health Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (HEPR) architecture and promotes a coordinated “whole-of-government, whole-of-society” approach. It is structured around five key systems, known as the 5Cs:

Collaborative Surveillance
Community Protection
Safe and Scalable Care
Access to Countermeasures
Emergency Coordination

The framework aims to reinforce coordination across national and sub-national levels, support faster risk assessment and response, and improve interoperability between local, national and global systems. It also highlights the importance of equity, inclusion and sustainable financing as central principles of preparedness.

In an era of increasingly complex and interconnected global threats, from pandemics to climate-related disasters, this framework offers a vital foundation for more resilient, cohesive and equitable health emergency responses worldwide.