A new report, entitled “Relationality in community engagement: its role in humanizing healthcare and achieving quality integrated health services” has been developed in collaboration with the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) and launched at the Seventh edition of the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) taking place in Doha on 13–14 November 2024.
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, community engagement has further resurfaced as a necessary condition, and a shared responsibility within health systems, for emergency preparedness, response and recovery efforts in global public health.
The new report introduces the background and current policy context for community engagement across different WHO regions. It presents an Integrated Change Framework (ICF) to embed and strengthen community engagement processes in health system functions and activities; explores eight selected country case studies, highlighting common success elements incorporated into the ICF; and concludes with recommendations for applying the ICF to improve health system performance.