Communities
are at the centre of health emergencies across all hazards, as well as need-
and risk-based interventions. Many countries are facing multiple and/or
prolonged crises concurrently, posing significant risks of social and economic
disruption, with disproportionate impact on vulnerable and marginalized
populations. The best interests of children, women and marginalized communities
must therefore remain central to collective preparedness and response efforts.
Within the
HEPR Community Protection Framework and the broader Community Protection and
Resilience (CPR) approach, communities are not only beneficiaries of assistance
but agents of protection and resilience. Multisectoral coordination for social
and economic protection is reflected under Objective 3 of the Community
Protection Framework, which focuses on strengthening equitable,
community-centred protection mechanisms as a core component of preparedness and
response. Emergency preparedness and response actors must therefore listen to
and work alongside communities to ensure that interventions strengthen, rather
than undermine, local coping capacities and social cohesion. Community social
protection is a key enabler of locally led emergency management, contributing
to faster, fairer and more accountable all-hazards responses, while reinforcing
equity, inclusion and resilience across sectors.
On 29
January 2026, over 750 participants from 170 countries joined the interactive
WHO–UNICEF webinar, “Ready & Resilient:
Community Social Protection for Preparedness and Response.” Participants
included practitioners, policymakers, development and humanitarian partners,
civil society organizations and community representatives. The discussion
highlighted the urgent need for stronger global and national collaboration,
operational guidance, standard operating procedures, tools and implementation
packages to advance multisectoral coordination for socioeconomic protection in
crises and outbreaks.
A recurring
theme was the need to institutionalize multisectoral coordination as part of
preparedness, not only during response. Effective community social protection
requires collaboration across protection, livelihoods, health, education,
governance and community leadership structures. Particularly vulnerable and
marginalized groups — including children, people with disabilities, people
living with NCDs, adolescents and populations with occupational exposure to
disease — require tailored interventions to ensure equitable access to
essential health and social services, reduce financial barriers and mitigate
the effects of crises and loss of livelihoods.
Participants
emphasized that community social protection must be embedded in preparedness
planning and aligned with national emergency frameworks. Strengthening linkages
between health services, social protection systems and local governance
structures is essential to ensure continuity of essential services during
shocks. Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA), for example, can be leveraged to
overcome financial and access barriers to care when integrated into
preparedness and service delivery models.
Experience
sharing from the field demonstrated both promising practices and persistent
gaps. Vulnerabilities, particularly among children , are often invisible or
insufficiently addressed in national systems. Clear definition and targeting of
recipient groups, as well as inclusion of marginalized populations often
excluded from formal social protection systems, are critical. Planning and
institutionalizing multisectoral coordination mechanisms ahead of crises
ensures that roles, responsibilities and partnerships are established and
practiced before emergencies occur.
Leveraging
existing community structures and informal networks, and strengthening
community leadership, are fundamental to effective engagement across the
emergency management cycle. Tailoring community social protection packages
during preparedness — through joint planning with relevant sectors and agencies
— increases ownership, accelerates scale-up during crises, and prevents harmful
coping mechanisms. Anticipatory action and early support to protect livelihoods
and ensure continuity of essential community services are central to this
approach.
The
findings from this global exchange align with operational experience from WHO
country offices and partners. Under the Community Protection and Resilience
agenda, ongoing work focuses on developing targeted guidance for WHO country
offices and partners on multisectoral coordination for community social
protection, tools for continuity of essential community services, and
operationalization within the Community Protection Framework implementation
pathways.
In
parallel, we are establishing communities of practice to strengthen knowledge
exchange and foster sustained collaboration among global, regional and local
stakeholders. Scaling community social protection within preparedness systems
is not only a matter of equity, it is a strategic investment in
resilient, emergency-ready health systems that protect those most at risk.
Community Protection and Resilience Unit
WHO Health Emergencies Programme
