In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, community engagement has resurfaced as a necessary condition for emergency preparedness, response and recovery efforts in global public health. Yet there is ambiguity and a lack of consensus on definitions and scope, and significant gaps in evidence on how community engagement can be successfully achieved. In traditional community engagement approaches, ‘community’ is often treated as a geographical location, or a group of people with lived experience of an issue; while the process of engagement is defined as an exchange of information. However, developments in scientific knowledge suggest that the concept of ‘community’ should be expanded to encompass the entire range of social connections – from early childhood attachment to ongoing social interactions throughout adolescence and into adulthood. This broader perspective acknowledges that people are inherently part of multiple, interconnected communities throughout their lives – each influencing their identities, emotions, decisions, behaviors and health. The health and care workers’ community is also part of this larger context. This renewed focus on community engagement is central to a primary healthcare (PHC) approach, and it aligns with the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion which calls for health systems to address individuals’ total needs. ‘Relational community engagement’ emphasizes improving relationships among health and care workers, and between them and the people they care for. Governments are recommended to: 1- Promote relational leadership, management, and governance

• Invest in adaptive transformative leadership models to drive whole-system learning.
• Develop political commitment to adopt a relationship-focused approach to community engagement as an inherent way of working in health systems and across sectors.
• Engage the health and care workforce and civil service across sectors to develop a renewed vision for public sector values and ways of working.

2. Strengthen relationship-building capabilities in health systems

• Strengthen communication and collaboration in health systems, setting relational competency benchmarks, and invest in local capacities of communities to address power imbalances.

• Develop participatory skills in multi-disciplinary teams and interprofessional practice.
• Integrate social and contextual data in health service design and delivery.

3. Invest in transdisciplinary research and practice development

• Fund research using the Integrated Change Framework (ICF) to foster collaboration across the sciences, technology, and the arts.