Abstract: Works on Emergency Response Systems (ERS) tend to set aside-or discuss peripherally-the global nature of catastrophes and the unique conditions under which these systems have to operate. Major disasters either affect more than one country or require the help of more than one nation. Designing ERS to manage global crisis situations pose great challenges due to incompatible technologies, language and cultural differences, variations in knowledge-level and management styles of decision makers, and resource limitations in individual countries. In this paper, we outline theoretical foundations for designing global ERS. We develop a path model that identifies the elements and their interactions needed to ensure quality of outcomes and processes of emergency response. We also prescribe a Global Information Network (GIN) architecture to provide decision-makers with timely response to crises involving global intervention.