Collaboration
The National Health Emergency Operations Centre, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia, is a WHO Collaborating Centre for Disaster and Emergency Management. Their collaboration with WHO was strengthened through a complementary partnership that combined WHO’s normative leadership and regional coordination role with the centre’s operational expertise, research capacity and technical support to Member States in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
WHO provided the strategic direction, global standards, and regional coordination platforms necessary to advance health emergency preparedness and response across Member States. Through its convening mandate and technical leadership, WHO ensured alignment with international frameworks for Public Health Emergency Operations Centres, incident management systems and health security priorities, while facilitating engagement with countries requiring technical support.
Contributions
The centre translated this normative guidance into operational practice through a series of capacity-building initiatives for Member States.
Several study tours were conducted for delegations from Member States, integrating technical training, operational demonstrations and the sharing of lessons learned from real emergency responses. These study tours showcased functional emergency operations centre models, coordination mechanisms, and information systems, providing participants with practical insights into implementation within their own national contexts.
To ensure continuity and broaden accessibility, the centre also developed a hybrid capacity-building approach that combined in-person and virtual modalities, enabling sustained engagement and technical support to countries facing logistical or travel constraints.
Beyond training, the centre provided direct technical support to Member States in assessing and operationalizing established or newly developed emergency operations centres. This included advisory support on governance structures, staffing models, standard operating procedures and operational readiness, thereby contributing to the strengthening of national emergency management capacities.
The centre further promoted evidence-based practice through the development and implementation of a National Health Emergency Research Strategy and the conduct of research across multiple priority areas, with findings published and disseminated to inform policy and practice at national and regional levels.
Knowledge transfer
The collaboration has generated substantial mutual benefit.
For WHO, the partnership has strengthened the implementation of its global and regional health emergency preparedness agenda through the support of a fully operational centre capable of translating normative guidance into practice. 
The collaboration has contributed to strengthening the Global Health Emergency Corps framework, advancing emergency medical team readiness and expanding regional capacity-building initiatives aligned with WHO norms and standards. It has also enhanced WHO’s ability to promote evidence-based practice, simulation-based learning and leadership development across Member States.
For the designated institution, the collaboration has reinforced alignment with WHO strategic priorities and strengthened its role as a regional and global center in health emergency management. Engagement with WHO has enhanced technical exchange, visibility and participation in global initiatives, while supporting the development of national systems, workforce competencies and research outputs.
This cooperation has also enabled the institution to contribute to global emergency preparedness efforts, expand its training and leadership development programmes, and position itself as a key technical resource for regional and international knowledge exchange.
Future collaboration may also include long-term leadership and workforce development programmes, expanded study tours and technical exchanges, as well as joint initiatives supporting Member States in strengthening emergency operations centres and preparedness systems.