WHO and Peking University Launch Two-Year Partnership to Strengthen Health Emergency Preparedness
The World Health Organization and Peking University have signed a two-year agreement aimed at strengthening how countries prepare for and respond to health emergencies. The collaboration will bring together WHO’s health emergency expertise and the university’s research capacity to support preparedness research, training and new methods for evaluating whether investments are improving emergency readiness.
The agreement runs from August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2028 and is being led by WHO’s Department of Health Emergency Preparedness through its Risk Analytics and Action Reviews unit and Peking University’s Institute for Global Health.
Three areas will shape the partnership
The collaboration will concentrate on three practical areas.
First, the organizations will conduct operational and implementation research to examine how health emergency preparedness measures work in real-world settings.
Second, they will develop and deliver training around WHO preparedness tools, including preparedness benchmarks, simulation exercises, after-action reviews and the Dynamic Preparedness Metric (DPM).
The third area is focused on measurement: developing methods to assess investments in preparedness and determine their outcomes and impact.
That focus matters because preparedness is not simply about having an emergency plan. Countries also need ways to identify weaknesses, measure changing risks and determine which improvements should receive priority.
Why WHO is focusing on preparedness measurement
WHO developed the Dynamic Preparedness Metric in 2024 to address a limitation in traditional preparedness assessments.
The DPM uses a risk-based approach built around three dimensions: hazard, vulnerability and capacity. It provides preparedness-risk information for five acute syndromes—respiratory, diarrhoeal, haemorrhagic, neurological and acute febrile syndromes.
Unlike assessments that provide a snapshot at one point in time, the DPM is designed to incorporate frequently updated information. WHO says its purpose is to help countries identify capacity gaps and connect those gaps with actions that can improve preparedness.
This makes the metric relevant to the new partnership’s emphasis on evidence, analytics and measuring the impact of preparedness investments.
Training is another part of emergency readiness
Preparedness also depends on having people who can act when an outbreak, disaster or other health emergency occurs.
WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme supports workforce development and learning for emergency preparedness and implementation of the International Health Regulations. Its approach includes country-level adaptation of WHO training packages based on identified needs.
WHO also uses the Emergency Medical Teams initiative to help countries build national response capacity. Its training infrastructure includes online learning through the Health Security Learning Platform and OpenWHO.
WHO reports that more than 100,000 people have subscribed to OpenWHO, highlighting the scale at which digital training can support emergency preparedness.
Simulation and reviews turn preparedness into practice
The partnership’s training component also includes tools that help countries test and improve their response systems.
Simulation exercises allow health authorities and response organizations to test plans, coordination and procedures before a real emergency exposes weaknesses.
After-action reviews provide another mechanism for identifying what worked, where gaps emerged and what should be changed following an emergency.
WHO’s preparedness benchmarks are designed to support countries in developing health emergency prevention, preparedness, response and resilience capacities and can be used alongside tools such as the DPM, Joint External Evaluation and national self-assessment processes.
Peking University adds an academic research component
Peking University already has experience in global health research and public health capacity development. The university has also been designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre in areas including universal health coverage.
The new agreement expands WHO’s academic partnership network, giving the organization additional research and analytical capacity while providing a framework for joint training and evidence generation.
Rather than creating a separate preparedness system, the collaboration is intended to strengthen work around existing WHO approaches and turn research findings into practical preparedness improvements.
Part of a wider global preparedness effort
The agreement comes within WHO’s broader 2025–2028 strategic framework, which places health emergency prevention, preparedness, response and resilience among its priorities. WHO’s emergency work also emphasizes stronger national capacity, rapid detection, risk assessment, trained response teams and continuity of essential health services during emergencies.
The organization has increasingly emphasized that preparedness must involve more than emergency response once a crisis begins. Building workforce capacity, monitoring risks and identifying weaknesses before an event are central to reducing the impact of future emergencies.
What the new partnership could add
For WHO, the collaboration creates another academic channel for research, training and analytical development. For Peking University, it provides a framework to contribute research and expertise to international preparedness efforts.
The immediate work will run for two years, with the agreement allowing an extension by mutual agreement. Its stated focus is practical: generate evidence, strengthen training and improve the ability to evaluate preparedness investments and capacity gaps.
Bottom Line
The WHO–Peking University agreement is not a new global emergency-response program by itself. It is a two-year research and capacity-building partnership designed to strengthen the systems countries use to prepare for health emergencies.
Its three main pillars—research, training and preparedness measurement—connect the new agreement with WHO’s existing tools and broader effort to make emergency readiness more evidence-based and actionable.
