One of the Health Cluster strategic priorities is to strengthen the coordination, technical and operational capacity of national-, regional- and global-level actors to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from public health and humanitarian emergencies.

Capacity development is the process by which organizations change and improve, and how individuals within an organization develop and retain the competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) needed to carry out their duties at least competently and ideally beyond the minimum standard.

In the contexts where the Health Cluster works this means saving lives and promoting dignity in humanitarian and public health emergencies and having an impact every day on mortality and morbidity at country level within affected populations in acute and protracted health emergencies.

In order to do this, the Global Health Cluster needs current and future members of Health Cluster teams and focal points in partners and other stakeholders who not only know what to do at every stage of a health response, but who also have the individual resilience and commitment to make a difference. Health Cluster teams are full of such people and we need to ensure that this capacity is continuously built, strengthened and nurtured.