National civil–military health collaboration framework for strengthening health emergency preparedness: WHO guidance document

The COVID-19 pandemic has proved a catalyst for many countries to explore ways of engaging military health services for national health emergency preparedness and response. In November 2020, World Health Assembly resolution WHA73.8 – “Strengthening preparedness for health emergencies: implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005)” – stressed the importance of adopting an all- hazards, multisectoral, coordinated approach to preparedness for health emergencies. The International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) require States Parties and territories to prevent, detect, and respond to public health emergencies of international concern in a timely manner at all levels of government. Improving collaboration between the public health sector and military actors and services at the national and subnational levels represents an important aspect of the multisectoral approach endorsed under the IHR (2005) and other global frameworks, such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. The aim of this framework is to provide the public health sector and military actors and services at the national level with guidance for establishing, advancing, and maintaining collaboration and coordination, with the focus on country core capacities required to effectively prevent, detect, respond to, recover from, and build back better after health emergencies.