READY: Global Readiness for Major Outbreak Response

This is an effort to put a comprehensive strategy and system in place so that, should an emergency occur, organisations will be ready to respond. READY is approaching this goal by facilitating coordination between global humanitarian outbreak structures and operational organisations responding to outbreaks, while also building and retaining capacity among consortium members. The integrated, multi-sectoral response approach at the centre of these efforts involves addressing the holistic needs of outbreak-affected communities, with community engagement and communications prioritised.

The key thread running throughout READY is the effort to integrate social and behaviour change (SBC) into outbreak preparedness, including tools and processes to better leverage community systems and networks. This is reflected in READY's knowledge management platform, which curates guidelines and protocols across sectors and also provides access to READY's online activities, which include:

• COVID-19 readiness workshops, which aim to strengthen operational capacities and programme adaptation frameworks among humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to support a holistic, integrated response, focusing on immediate readiness for rapid escalation of COVID-19 in a given geographic area. The workshops, which are taking place virtually due to COVID-19 travel and physical distancing restrictions, offer foundational presentations and interactive exercises aligned with key pillars in World Health Organization (WHO)'s COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, including risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) and infection prevention and control (IPC) at facility and community level. Workshops also connect NGOs with regional and national coordination mechanisms. Past workshops, with links to their materials, are available on the READY website, here.
• READY webinars, which feature experts from academic institutions and implementing organisations leading discussions relevant to COVID-19 technical areas, operations, and coordination issues, with a focus on humanitarian settings. (See one example, below.)
• READY discussion forum, which is a community of practice space for humanitarian actors involved in outbreak preparedness and response. It includes webinar follow-up questions, workshop materials, and working group support.
• Curated collections, which is a list of websites, organisations, and interagency groups that gather key COVID-19 information and curate it into collections and modules in an effort to help people find what they need while avoiding information overload.

To build on the above activities, READY has engaged in:

• Research: For example, READY conducted an analysis of public health, zoonotic, and SBC networks, tools, guidelines, and initiatives to examine gaps and ensure the complementarity, effectiveness, and added-value of READY. READY also carried out global and regional consultations to incorporate and ensure representation of various perspectives and priorities in programme activities.
• Advocacy: For example, READY connected with coordination mechanisms at global, regional, and country levels to support and strengthen capacity for organisations to implement a more multi-sectoral, integrated outbreak response.
• Additional strengthening of operational capacity: For example, READY is facilitating regional and national outbreak preparedness based on outbreak modelling and revised decision-making protocols. READY is also building, training, and supporting a global cadre of clinical, operational, and subject matter experts to rapidly deploy for integrated outbreak response.

Health, Emergency

According to READY, major disease outbreaks have highlighted gaps in the global humanitarian community's ability to respond to major infectious disease outbreaks. For example, in the West Africa Ebola outbreak that began in 2014, lack of trust in emergency response efforts and health facilities at the community level likely exacerbated the crisis. At the same time, health officials were hampered in their ability to engage community members to help contain the disease, a critical approach in fighting an outbreak.