Asia-Europe Foundation Public Health Network (ASEF PHN)
EVENT
Bridging Knowledge and Practice: Risk Communication for Public Health Emergencies in the Age of AI
5-6 Nov 2026, Tokyo, Japan
Scope & Purpose
Risk communication is one of the eight core capacities under the International Health Regulations (IHR), reflecting its foundational role in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. The ability to communicate health risks accurately, transparently, and in ways that sustain public trust directly determines disease control outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic made this clearer than any other event: where communication failed, public behaviour faltered, misinformation spread rapidly, and trust in public health institutions was damaged.
Since 2013, the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) has convened policymakers, public health experts, researchers and practitioners from across Asia and Europe to examine the evolving challenges of risk communication for public health emergencies. Over more than a decade, this work has generated a rich pool of knowledge on what effective risk communication requires, where persistent gaps lie, and how the field must adapt to a rapidly changing information environment.
In 2026, ASEF Public Health Network (ASEF PHN) will convene the Meeting on Risk Communication for Public Health Emergencies — Bridging Knowledge and Practice: Risk Communication for Public Health Emergencies in the Age of AI in Tokyo, Japan. The meeting marks a significant milestone for the programme: it is the first occasion on which ASEF PHN will undertake a comprehensive stocktaking of what has been learnt over more than twelve years of programming, while simultaneously looking forward to the question that now defines the field — how artificial intelligence (AI) can open new possibilities for effective and inclusive RCCE, and what it means to use these tools wisely during public health emergencies.
Objectives
The primary goal of this meeting is to consolidate over a decade of bi-regional learning on risk communication for public health emergencies, and to equip participants with practical familiarity with how AI can support RCCE practice. The meeting will serve as a platform for bi-regional exchange between Asia and Europe, with a particular focus on translating accumulated knowledge into action and exploring AI applications grounded in sound governance, equity considerations and community engagement principles.
Specific objectives of the meeting are:
- To consolidate and reflect on the knowledge accumulated across more than twelve years of ASEF PHN risk communication programming, identifying what has been achieved, where persistent gaps remain, and how the field has evolved in response to real-world health emergencies including COVID-19;
- To examine why persistent gaps in risk communication remain despite repeated recommendations, and to identify practical pathways for wiser action;
- To provide participants with direct, hands-on experience of how AI can enhance risk communication and community engagement;
- To explore how AI-assisted communication can reflect community-specific concerns, languages and trust dynamics, while addressing risks related to bias, misinformation, data protection and over-reliance on automated systems; and
- To facilitate networking among RCCE policymakers, practitioners and technology experts across Asia and Europe, and to determine areas of international and inter-sectoral collaboration for future public health emergencies.
Target Audience
The meeting will target the following audiences: i) government officials in charge of health emergency preparedness and response and RCCE; ii) government officials from sectors outside of health who are involved in responding to public health emergencies; and iii) representatives from civil society, including Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), International Organisations (IOs), academia, and technology and research institutions whose work intersects with RCCE.
More specifically, the meeting will aim to engage:
- Senior-level officials, advisors and/or other decision-makers from ASEM Partners’ Ministries of Health or equivalent;
- Spokespersons and senior-level media or communications personnel from ASEM Partners’ Ministries of Health or equivalent;
- Senior-level officials, advisors and/or other decision-makers from ASEM Partners’ Ministries of Finance, Foreign Affairs, Digital Affairs and other related Ministries;
- RCCE practitioners and community engagement specialists working at national or sub-national level; and
- Representatives of NGOs, IOs, academia, and technology and research institutions whose work is related to RCCE, public health emergency preparedness and response, and the application of AI to health communication.
Reflecting the RCCE principle that effective communication requires inclusive participation, the meeting is open to a diverse range of stakeholders, not limited to senior officials, but inclusive of practitioners, researchers and civil society representatives.
Expected Outcome
The meeting will foster the exchange of good practices and lessons identified across more than twelve years of ASEF PHN risk communication programming, while equipping participants with practical, hands-on familiarity with how AI can support RCCE in Asia and Europe. The outcomes of the meeting will be summarised in a short report that includes key recommendations on the wise use of AI for risk communication and community engagement during public health emergencies
About the joint high-level meeting
This event is via invitation only, and participants are required to register prior to the meeting.
Organizers
The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) Public Health Network
The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)[1], founded in 1997, is an intergovernmental not-for-profit organisation representing the 53 Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)[2] Partners: 30 European and 21 Asian countries, plus the European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat. Following the 6th ASEM Summit (ASEM6; 2006; Helsinki, Finland) where the leaders expressed their determination to combat avian influenza and a possible human influenza pandemic, the “ASEM Initiative for the Rapid Containment of Pandemic Influenza”, financially supported by the Government of Japan, was launched at the 9th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (ASEM FMM9; 2009; Hanoi, Viet Nam). Since then, the two components of the Initiative, ASEM stockpile of anti-viral drugs and personal protective equipment, as well as ASEF Public Health Network (ASEF PHN) have contributed to strengthening ASEM Partners’ capacity for managing Public Health Emergencies (PHEs).
ASEF PHN & Risk Communication for PHEs
ASEF PHN’s scope is not limited to pandemic influenza – it expands to Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs) as well as Pandemic Preparedness and Response (PPR). ASEF PHN has been working on Risk Communication for PHEs – Prior to the pandemic, ASEF PHN implemented a series of High-level Meetings focusing on Risk Communication & Leadership (2017), How Can We Include Migrants & Ethnic Minorities (2018), and Risk Communication Beyond the Country Borders (2019) for effective Risk Communication during PHEs. In 2020, ASEF PHN conducted a research project “Monitoring and Evaluation for edidence-based Risk Communication during the COVID-19 pandemic”. During the pandemic, virtual conferences were implemented focusing on “Risk Communication during high uncertainty”, “Combatting infodemic & effective use of social media” & “Increasing vaccine confidence”sharing good practices and lessons learnt across Aisa and Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the hybrid meeting “the Role of Risk Communication in Pandemics” in 2022, and “Risk Communication as part of the Whole of Government approach” in 2024.
ASEF’s contribution is made possible with the financial support from the Government of Japan.
