Context In 2019, WHO designated the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) as the first WHO Collaborating Centre for the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN). Over the past five years, the centre has played a key role in shaping GOARN’s strategy, strengthening capacity building, and supporting international…
Context Since 2020, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) collaborates with Namibia’s Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) to establish the Namibia Institute of Public Health (NIPH) and to strengthen different Public Health (PH) functions. The NIPH was approved by the Namibian Cabinet in March 2024. National Public Health Institutes…
Context There is an urgent need to strengthen diagnostic capacities for Yersinia pestis and Vibrio cholerae in Madagascar. Yersinia pestis is endemic in the country and therefore represents a major public health concern. Vibrio cholerae is gaining increasing importance both locally and globally in the context of climate change and…
Context National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) support political decision-makers in developing effective immunisation strategies. Experiences gained in previous projects have shown that NITAGs in middle-income countries (MICs) in the WHO European Region operate at varying levels. Together with the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO EURO), STEP seeks to…
Context The SPHERE project builds on cooperation with Western Balkan (WB) countries that has been in place since 2016 and follows the success of the WASP (Western Balkan Strategic Partnership for Health Protection) project. SPHERE continues to support public health institutes in Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia in enhancing…
Context Rapid Response Mobile Laboratories (RRMLs) provide crucial support during infectious disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and humanitarian crises by enabling on-site testing and diagnostics. During these emergencies, countries can experience gaps in human and infrastructural resources, underscoring the need for flexible and portable laboratory solutions. SMILE strengthens emergency response capacities…
Context Governments in low- and middle-income countries face staff shortages in public health research due to limited resources. This limits their ability to address local health problems and contributes to increased mortality and morbidity. The project SCAPHeR builds on the GHPP project CARe and aims to strengthen applied public health…
Context Guinea is a lower-middle-income country in Western Africa and holds a complex burden of disease with malaria, respiratory diseases, stroke, diarrheal diseases, and preterm birth complications as the top causes of death. The African region has limited infection prevention and control (IPC) capacities, with healthcare-associated infections (HAI) surveillance being…
Context Acute health crises put pressure on health systems and undermine access to medical care in the affected regions. Building on the previous projects EMT TT and EMT TTT, this project supports EMT response mechanisms and partnerships in the WHO AFRO and EURO regions. This is to ensure quality health…