Case Study 1:
Strengthening Country Capacity to Coordinate Emergency Operations Centres
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Emergency Operations Centre Network (EOC-NET) is a global initiative aimed at strengthening the capacity and capabilities of governments, institutions and support partners to effectively prepare for, and respond to, health emergencies.
Through technical guidance, standards, peer-to-peer collaboration and exercises, EOC-NET supports countries in identifying operational gaps, validating procedures, and improving coordination amongst national, regional, and global health emergency stakeholders.
THE CHALLENGE
In 2025, as emergencies grew more complex and global health funding became more limited, WHO saw the need to provide more tailored EOC support to help strengthen national and sub-national EOCs.
Specifically, a scalable new approach was required that would:
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Enable a diverse range of country actors to test their own response protocols, improve coordination, clarify roles and identify system weaknesses
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Empower nationally-led capacity building activities that could be implemented independently without the need for direct facilitation by WHO
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Help countries to achieve global standards while allowing flexibility and customization to their own context
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Offer a versatile, cost-efficient, and sustainable solution in light of recent cuts to global health and development funding
THE SOLUTION
To meet these needs, our team worked with three WHO regional offices to design and package a library of tabletop exercise scenarios delivered using the REM-Systems Global simulation tool.
Scenarios focused on different emergency types and were designed to train EOC teams manage operations from watch mode through to the highest peak of an incident response.
Key features included:
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24/7 unlimited access to immersive, plug-and-play simulations that national facilitators could implement for EOC staff either onsite or online, according to their own timetable
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Customizable design features, including visuals and language, allowing localization of the EOC-NET scenarios to fit different geographic and cultural contexts
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Online Training of Trainer sessions to build the skills and confidence of facilitators to deliver the simulations autonomously, followed up with ongoing coaching on demand
THE RESULTS
This initiative has delivered tangible impact for WHO and its work across three regions, helping the EOC-NET community reach more people, in more places, achieving higher quality outputs and at less cost.
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Enhanced reach: Within a few months, simulations were successfully rolled-out by national health authorities in dozens of countries down to district level, with remote technical support from WHO country or regional offices only necessary in the first wave
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Increased standardization: Using a standardized delivery format, yet tailored to different contexts, WHO has substantially increased the degree of awareness and alignment with the EOC-NET framework, terminology, guidance and tools available
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Breaking the language barrier: Originally developed in English, the simulations have now been converted into multiple other languages for use across the Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and Mekong regions
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Increased efficiency: By combining human expertise with a ready-made technological solution, the project reduced costs significantly - eliminating the need for widespread international travel or heavy redesign processes every time a simulation is implemented in a new setting
CASE STUDIES
Real-world examples of how partner agencies have implemented REM-Systems Global
@who-wpro
"The REM-Systems Global training tool helps WHO and governments to ensure that Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) staff are equipped to manage public health emergencies effectively.
The immersive experience simulates real-world emergency scenarios, enabling participants to apply key concepts and tools in a realistic setting tailored to their own national context.
The feedback from our trainings has been highly positive, leading to stronger and more connected Public Health Emergency Operations Centres across the region."
Jan-Erik Larsen
Health Emergencies Programme
WHO Western Pacific Regional Office
@who-wpro
Case Study 2:
Building Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems through Tabletop Exercises
Multi-hazard early warning systems help protect people from disasters like floods, storms, heatwaves, and earthquakes. But many countries find it difficult to turn risk information into clear actions and timely warnings.
This requires coordination between disaster lead agencies, weather services, technological actors, community level groups and many others. When these stakeholder do not work closely together, warnings can be delayed or unclear.
Additionally, local skills need to be built and sustained as disaster risk reduction actors need practical tools and training they can use on their own, so they can continue improving their systems without relying on outside support.
THE CHALLENGE
Under the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and academic partner CIMA Research Foundation developed a new Handbook on the Use of Risk Knowledge for Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (2024) - a foundational resource designed to guide country practitioners in transforming risk information into actionable early warning strategies.
The first target region for roll-out of the Handbook was Africa.
But the question was how to achieve real institutional change, at scale, and in a resource limited environment.
THE SOLUTION
A tabletop exercise model was developed that allowed early warning stakeholders to bridge technical concepts from the Handbook with group-based, guided discussions and role-plays.
At the click of a button, REM-Systems Global was able to immerse target audiences in a multimedia rich scenario which:
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Enabled both onsite and online groups to collect, analyze and use risk information to identify gaps in their early warning warning systems
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Improved trigger mechanisms for decision-making, problem-solving and coordination, leading into practical action plans
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Fostered stakeholder collaboration and inclusivity at national and local levels
THE RESULTS
The workshop model was quickly implemented across Africa and is now being converted into regionally-customized scenario packages for worldwide use, in a variety of languages.
Knowledge of the Handbook has since grown exponentially, from national lead institutions down to community level actors.
Many of these countries are moving forward with action plans to strengthen their early warning systems. They train their own stakeholders.
UNDRR and CIMA continue to support from behind, but for a fraction of their own project costs. The initiative sustains itself.
"The REM-Systems Global training tool helps WHO and governments to ensure that Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) staff are equipped to manage public health emergencies effectively. The immersive experience simulates real-world emergency scenarios, enabling participants to apply key concepts and tools in a realistic setting tailored to their own national context. The feedback from our trainings has been highly positive, leading to stronger and more connected Public Health Emergency Operations Centres across the region."
Jan-Erik Larsen
Health Emergencies Programme
WHO Western Pacific Regional Office
