WHO and Peking University Partner to Strengthen Emergency Preparedness

WHO and Peking University will jointly develop and deliver training around several established and emerging preparedness approaches.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and Peking University have started a two-year collaboration focused on helping countries prepare more effectively for health emergencies, combining academic research with practical training and new ways of measuring whether preparedness investments are actually improving the ability to respond to crises.

Running from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2028, the agreement brings together WHO's Department of Health Emergency Preparedness, through its Risk Analytics and Action Reviews (RAR) Unit, and Peking University's Institute for Global Health. Their work will cover prevention, preparedness, emergency response and resilience, with a strong focus on turning research findings into tools that can support real-world decisions.

Research Will Focus on Real Emergency Preparedness Challenges

A major part of the partnership will involve operational and implementation research, looking at how preparedness policies, systems and tools perform when they are applied in practice. This type of research can help identify gaps between preparedness plans on paper and the capabilities that health systems need when an outbreak, disaster or other emergency occurs.

The collaboration is aligned with WHO's Fourteenth General Programme of Work and its wider efforts to strengthen health emergency capacities. Evidence generated through the project is expected to support decision-makers as they assess vulnerabilities, improve preparedness systems and decide where limited resources can produce the greatest benefit.

Researchers will also work on methods for assessing investments in preparedness and measuring their outcomes and impact. Understanding the value of preparedness spending remains important because investments may cover very different areas, from workforce training and surveillance to emergency exercises, laboratory capacity and coordination systems.

Training Will Put WHO Preparedness Tools Into Practice

WHO and Peking University will jointly develop and deliver training around several established and emerging preparedness approaches. These include the WHO benchmarks for strengthening health emergency capacities, simulation exercises (SimEx), after-action reviews (AARs) and Dynamic Preparedness Metrics (DPM).

Simulation exercises allow health authorities and partner organizations to test plans before a real crisis occurs, giving teams an opportunity to identify weaknesses in communication, coordination, decision-making and operational readiness. After-action reviews examine what happened following an actual emergency response, helping participants understand what worked, where problems emerged and what should change before the next event.

Dynamic Preparedness Metrics add another analytical dimension by helping preparedness capacity be assessed in ways that reflect changing risks and conditions. Combining these approaches with university-based research and training could give health professionals stronger skills for evaluating preparedness rather than treating it as a fixed checklist.

Academic Partnerships Expand Global Preparedness Expertise

The agreement builds on Peking University's experience in global health research and public health capacity development. The university has previously been designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre in several areas, including universal health coverage, giving the new project an existing foundation for international health cooperation.

The partnership also expands the academic network connected with WHO's Risk Analytics and Action Reviews Unit. With the addition of Peking University, RAR now has sustained collaborations with four leading universities across different regions, bringing together academic expertise, research capacity, training resources and analytical work that can support health emergency preparedness internationally.

Rather than concentrating only on producing academic findings, the two-year programme is structured around generating evidence that can be applied to preparedness decisions and capacity-building. Research can help reveal which approaches work in different settings, training can help professionals apply those approaches, and stronger measurement methods can provide a clearer picture of whether preparedness investments are producing meaningful improvements.

The agreement may be extended beyond 31 July 2028 if both organizations agree, giving the partnership the possibility of continuing as health emergency risks and preparedness needs evolve.