On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched Building the public health and emergency workforce: A roadmap. The roadmap focuses around three critical action areas:
- Defining the essential public health functions and sub-functions for national contexts, including a focus on emergency preparedness and response
- Strengthening competency-based education for the provision of the essential public health functions
- Mapping and measurement of occupations delivering public health functions
The Global Network for Academic Public Health (GNAPH) is honored to be a signatory to this important publication. ASPPH has also endorsed the roadmap, which comes at a critical time for public health. Schools and programs of public health around the world will be important partners for countries as they work to implement the roadmap and strengthen the public health workforce.
The roadmap is developed with, and for, countries including key stakeholders such as associations of national public health institutes and schools. It proposes a differentiated and progressive approach for countries acknowledging varying capacities and contexts. Across the action areas, this will aid countries to benchmark themselves and assess their current situation; facilitate provision of guidance and tools; and support progress to full implementation towards a strengthened public health workforce delivering all essential public health functions for universal health coverage, health security, and improved health and wellbeing.