How whole-of-government responses to COVID-19 inform broader action on the health and well-being agenda: Lessons from the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region

Public health measures to counter COVID-19, such as lockdowns and travel bans, have had major socioeconomic implications, demanding urgent action across a range of sectors. Despite different responses by political and public health actors, their intersectoral nature has emerged as a common theme. Interest in the role of whole-of-government (WoG) action – when a diverse set of government ministries and agencies work across portfolio boundaries to develop a common solution to a common problem – has increased. This technical brief highlights the elements that appear to be critical for the success of WoG action, as illustrated by experiences from the ongoing COVID-19 response in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. It also explores opportunities for applying WoG approaches to the health and well-being agenda more broadly under the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Triple Billion targets and the Sustainable Development Goals.

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Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research. How whole-of-government responses to COVID-19 inform broader action on the health and well-being agenda: Lessons from the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.