Joint external evaluation of the International Health Regulations (2005) core capacities of Iraq: mission report, 17-21 September 2023
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World Health Organization
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vii, 84 p.
This mission report presents the findings of the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of Iraq’s capacities under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005), conducted in September 2023 using the third edition of the JEE tool. The evaluation assessed 19 technical areas related to prevention, detection and response capacities, as well as points of entry, chemical events and radiation emergencies. The report documents Iraq’s progress in strengthening health security following previous assessments, including the 2019 JEE and the Universal Health and Preparedness Review, while acknowledging the impact of conflict, economic pressures and public health emergencies on the country’s health system. The report analyses national capacities across legal frameworks, financing, surveillance, laboratory systems, antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic diseases, emergency management, infection prevention and control, immunization and risk communication. It identifies strengths, operational gaps and priority actions needed to improve multisectoral coordination, preparedness planning, workforce development, data integration and emergency response mechanisms. The evaluation emphasizes the importance of sustainable governance structures, updated national action plans, strengthened One Health approaches and enhanced public health emergency coordination to support resilient implementation of the IHR (2005) in Iraq.
This mission report presents the findings of the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of Iraq’s capacities under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005), conducted in September 2023 using the third edition of the JEE tool. The evaluation assessed 19 technical areas related to prevention, detection and response capacities, as well as points of entry, chemical events and radiation emergencies. The report documents Iraq’s progress in strengthening health security following previous assessments, including the 2019 JEE and the Universal Health and Preparedness Review, while acknowledging the impact of conflict, economic pressures and public health emergencies on the country’s health system. The report analyses national capacities across legal frameworks, financing, surveillance, laboratory systems, antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic diseases, emergency management, infection prevention and control, immunization and risk communication. It identifies strengths, operational gaps and priority actions needed to improve multisectoral coordination, preparedness planning, workforce development, data integration and emergency response mechanisms. The evaluation emphasizes the importance of sustainable governance structures, updated national action plans, strengthened One Health approaches and enhanced public health emergency coordination to support resilient implementation of the IHR (2005) in Iraq.