Introducing the WHO Generic All-Hazards Risk Assessment Tool for Mass Gathering Events: A Collaborative Effort by WHO and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security

November 8, 2023 – The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), today launched the WHO Generic All-Hazards Risk Assessment Tool for Mass Gathering Events (All-Hazards MG RA Tool). This user-friendly and innovative digital tool aims to support WHO Member States and mass gathering event organizers in identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks associated with large-scale gatherings, ultimately enhancing event safety.

The project was led by Lucia Mullen and Crystal Watson from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and Ninglan Wang and Amaia Artazcoz Glaria from WHO.

The WHO All-Hazards MG RA Tool provides:

• A systematic, evidence-based approach to identifying and classifying priority risks.
• A description of the necessary level of national preparedness and readiness to mitigate specific hazards.
• Guidance on the implementation of a comprehensive and strategic risk assessment to inform preparedness and response plans, ahead of the mass gathering.
• An estimated assessment of the host country's capacity to identify and respond to potential negative health impacts related to the event. 

This tool builds upon earlier risk assessment tools for mass gatherings developed by WHO and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, which focused on the risk of amplifying COVID-19 spread. The WHO All-Hazards MG RA Tool represents a collaborative effort between 2 renowned organizations with a shared commitment to global health and safety.

The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security has served as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Global Health Security since 2019.

For further information on the WHO Mass Gatherings All Hazards Risk Assessment Tool, please visit https://partnersplatform.who.int/all-hazards-mass-gatherings-risk-assessment.

For additional inquiries related to the project, please contact Lucia Mullen at lmullen3@jhu.edu

For media inquiries, please contact Cagla Giray at cgiray1@jhu.edu