ASEF and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) will co-organise a risk communications workshop “How can we be Better Prepared for the next Global Health Threat? Planning and implementing Emergency Risk Communications”, 7-8 September 2016, in Stockholm, Sweden. This is the 4th edition of the ASEF Public Health Network’s risk communications workshop series since 2013. However, it marks a first-ever collaboration with ECDC, a European Union agency, whose mission is to strengthen Europe’s defences against infectious diseases.
Over 60 public health experts from the fields of communications, preparedness and response, training, and civil society representatives from Asia and Europe will be participating. There will be presentations on selected public health emergencies, working group discussions, a scenario exercise, and development of risk communications and preparedness planning strategies.
The overall aim is to strengthen the link between Emergency Risk Communications (ERC) and Public Health Emergency (PHE) preparedness planning, underlining the importance of integrating ERC into a PHE preparedness plan. It will also be an opportunity to identify the competencies needed to secure the implementation of ERC within a preparedness plan and identify the capacities) and capabilities required.