Governance and Leadership for Health Security

Strong leadership and good governance practices are critical factors for epidemic preparedness and response. Recent outbreaks of infectious disease, including the Ebola crisis in West Africa and the emergence of Zika across the Americas, highlight the need for effective governance systems through which national and local stakeholders set shared direction, make policy and strategy decisions, and define, raise, and deploy the necessary resources. Robust governance systems enable transparent oversight and performance monitoring, and help ensure accountability for continuous improvement to effectively respond to disease outbreaks and prevent epidemics.