Joint External Evaluation

Joint External Evaluation
Name	Joint External Evaluation
Formation	2016
Founder	World Health Organization; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; World Organisation for Animal Health
Type	International assessment mechanism
Purpose	Evaluate country capacities under the International Health Regulations (2005)
Headquarters	Geneva

Contents

Joint External Evaluation

The Joint External Evaluation is an internationally coordinated assessment mechanism established in 2016 to appraise national capacities for detecting, preventing, and responding to public health threats. It was launched through collaboration among World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and World Organisation for Animal Health and aligns with instruments such as the International Health Regulations (2005), the Global Health Security Agenda, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Background and Purpose

The initiative originated after reviews of the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa (2014–2016), recommendations from the Independent Panel on the Global Response to Ebola, and evaluations by the United Nations and World Bank. Its purpose is to provide an objective appraisal that informs Pan American Health Organization missions, supports African Union health strategies, and guides investments by stakeholders including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and multilateral lenders such as the International Monetary Fund. The mechanism complements frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals and tools developed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

The evaluation employs a standardized, peer-reviewed tool co-developed by technical partners including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health England, and the Robert Koch Institute. The process combines self-assessment, external peer review, and multisectoral validation involving delegations from institutions such as Ministry of Health (various countries), Ministry of Agriculture (various countries), and international experts from Médecins Sans Frontières, United Nations Development Programme, and academic centres like Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Teams use indicators aligned with OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code provisions and report using templates consistent with guidance from World Health Assembly resolutions.

Assessments cover capacities across surveillance and response domains influenced by disciplines represented at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Institut Pasteur, and Karolinska Institutet. Technical areas include laboratory systems evaluated against International Organization for Standardization standards, zoonotic disease management linked to programs at Wildlife Conservation Society, antimicrobial resistance referenced to Codex Alimentarius Commission guidance, and immunization systems tied to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Other areas encompass points of entry examined in coordination with International Civil Aviation Organization and International Maritime Organization, emergency preparedness aligned with United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and legislation reviewed in the context of International Health Regulations (2005) compliance.

Countries across regions represented by World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, World Health Organization Regional Office for the Americas, World Health Organization Regional Office for South-East Asia, World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, and World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific have engaged. Notable national partners include Ministry of Health (Nigeria), Ministry of Health (India), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (United States), and task forces coordinated with African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Funding and technical support have come from donors such as United States Agency for International Development, European Commission, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and foundations including Wellcome Trust.

Reports have informed preparedness investments by institutions like the World Bank Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility and policy reforms enacted through instruments such as National Action Plans for Health Security. Findings have guided capacity building programs at European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and training initiatives at United States Agency for International Development partner sites and universities including University of Oxford. Follow-up mechanisms involve periodic after-action reviews prompted by events like the COVID-19 pandemic and integration with evaluations under the Global Health Security Agenda and financing through mechanisms coordinated with the Global Fund.

Observers from think tanks such as the Center for Strategic and International Studies and scholars at Chatham House have noted challenges including variable reporting transparency, potential political sensitivities during peer review, and limitations in linking assessment results to predictable financing from institutions like the International Monetary Fund or World Bank. Other critiques reference gaps in multisectoral coordination involving entities like Ministry of Agriculture (various countries) and operationalization difficulties highlighted by responses to the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa (2014–2016) and COVID-19 pandemic. Proposals for reform cite models from Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction implementation and recommendations from panels such as the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

Category:Global health