Against the backdrop of evolving geopolitical tensions and heightened risk of deliberate and accidental chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) events, strengthening hospital preparedness has never been more urgent. Hospitals across the WHO European Region must be ready to respond effectively to CBRN emergencies, yet many lack comprehensive guidance on how to prepare for such complex scenarios. In addition to safeguarding patient care and continuity of operations, preparedness must also prioritize protecting health workers who are on the front lines – helping those who help others – so they can continue to deliver care safely during high-risk events.
To address this gap, WHO/Europe, in collaboration with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, is hosting a series of peer-exchange sessions to strengthen hospital preparedness for CBRN emergencies. These exchanges will support the adaptation of WHO’s key preparedness tools – such as the Hospital Safety Index and the draft hospital emergency response planning guide – to CBRN contexts.
This initiative is part of a joint action on CBRN health and crisis-response capacity-building in the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and 8 European Union Member States.
Objectives
The CBRN peer-exchange series will:
- facilitate targeted expert discussions around hospital preparedness for CBRN emergencies
- refine and validate findings from a recent desk review on hospital CBRN readiness
- identify practical solutions and best practices
- inform the development of CBRN-specific annexes to WHO hospital preparedness tools.
Format
Four online sessions will be held via Microsoft Teams, each lasting 1 hour and 30 minutes, and structured around the “4S” service delivery framework – system, staff, stuff and space.
- Session 1: system – 18 June 2025, 14:00 Central European Summer Time (CEST)
- Session 2: staff – 25 June 2025, 14:00 CEST
- Session 3: stuff – 2 July 2025, 14:00 CEST
- Session 4: space – 9 July 2025, 14:00 CEST
Each session will include:
- a short introduction and topic overview
- moderated discussion with guiding questions
- open expert contributions
- a summary and wrap-up.
Participation
The peer exchange is open to selected experts in hospital emergency preparedness, CBRN response and health systems resilience. For more information, please contact europcb@who.int.