WHO Headquarters Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Response to COVID-19 – Leadership

This article examines the Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) response from the World Health Organization headquarters in concert with its six regional offices and partners in response to the COVID-19 pandemic through two lenses. First, using the findings from the 2017 WHO Guideline for Emergency Risk Communication Policy and Practice, we compared the pre-pandemic recommendations against the realities of response. Second, because WHO was seen as the global leader for RCCE response, we also viewed the RCCE actions through six key crisis leadership functions. As with every major public health emergency, employing proven methodologies as well as novel approaches to meet both emergent and unexpected needs, expands and improves our understanding of preparedness and response. The purpose of this analysis is to illustrate and interrogate the role of centralized leadership and processes in facilitating a global pandemic response involving multiple regions and agencies. This analysis provides a description of processes employed, lessons learned and suggestions for additional operational research. In addition, gaps in crisis communication and community engagement research, especially as they relate to the dynamic context of a global pandemic, are described.