Event highlights:

Health security preparedness is everyone’s business. Türkiye’s first Joint External Evaluation (JEE) Orientation Workshop marked an important step towards building a stronger, multisectoral approach to public health emergency preparedness and response.

Held on 9–10 April 2026 in Ankara, the workshop brought together around 80 participants from multiple ministries, sectors and institutions involved in the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005). It helped build a shared understanding of the JEE methodology, process and tool, while laying the groundwork for a coordinated, country-led and multisectoral self-assessment process.

Organized by the WHO Country Office in Türkiye, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, with technical support from WHO/Europe, the workshop reflected a shared commitment to strengthening health emergency preparedness through stronger coordination across sectors.

“The strength of the JEE lies in its ability to bring sectors together around a shared reality. When institutions align behind data, priorities become clearer, investments become smarter and preparedness becomes a national asset, not just a health objective,” said Dr Tasnim Atatrah, WHO Representative in Türkiye.

A shared understanding for a stronger system

As part of the IHR Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, the JEE is a voluntary, collaborative and multisectoral process that supports countries in assessing their capacities to prevent, detect and rapidly respond to public health threats. It complements other assessment approaches by enabling a broader system-level review of preparedness capacities and capabilities across 19 different technical areas.

Throughout the 2-day workshop, participants reviewed the JEE methodology and defined roles and responsibilities, decided on a structured approach for the self-assessment phase, and explored how the process can support stronger coordination and collaboration across sectors. The discussions also encouraged participants to reflect on preparedness through a systems lens, helping to identify cross-cutting strengths, gaps and priorities across relevant sectors.

“In particular, this workshop will help align stakeholders, introduce the JEE tool and methodology, and begin defining how sectors will work together throughout the process,” said Dr Priyakanta Nayak, Coordinator of the Health Security in Türkiye Project, WHO/Europe.

Building the foundation for the next phase

By bringing together a wide range of stakeholders, the workshop helped establish a common foundation for the next stage of Türkiye’s first JEE process. It marked the beginning of the nationally led and inclusive self-assessment of Türkiye’s health emergency preparedness capacities. This assessment, in the second phase of the evaluation, will be shared with an international team of experts, which will review the information alongside their Turkish counterparts.

As highlighted by Associate Professor Dr Erdoğan Öz, Director General of Public Health at the Ministry of Health of Türkiye, “Health security is a shared responsibility that goes beyond borders. In today’s interconnected world, challenges affecting one country can rapidly have wider consequences, underlining the importance of coordination, solidarity and collective action”.

The goal of the process is a multisectoral review of Türkiye’s ability to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats, which identifies strengths, gaps and prioritized actions for the country’s next steps in the continuous strengthening of health emergency capacities in Türkiye.

At this stage, however, its value also lies in everything it helps build along the way. Strengthening health security is also about building relationships, trust and shared understanding that will make those results possible.

The JEE Orientation Workshop was co-funded by the European Union through the EU4Health programme.

Event notice:

Strengthening preparedness for public health emergencies is essential to protect communities and ensure resilient health systems. In this context, on 9–10 April 2026, Türkiye will convene its first Joint External Evaluation (JEE) Orientation Workshop, marking an important milestone in the country’s ongoing preparations for its first JEE under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005).

A JEE is a voluntary, collaborative and multisectoral process that helps countries to assess their capacities to prevent, detect and rapidly respond to public health threats. As part of the IHR Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, the JEE complements existing assessment approaches by supporting a broader systems-level review of preparedness capacities across sectors.

The workshop will bring together technical focal points and representatives from key institutions and sectors involved in IHR implementation and emergency preparedness to build a shared understanding of the JEE methodology, process and tool, to align expectations and to review relevant findings through a systems lens to identify cross-cutting strengths, gaps and priorities. The outcome of the workshop will be a shared agreement on focal point roles and responsibilities, coordination arrangements and a decision on the concrete next steps to complete the JEE self-assessment phase.

The workshop will serve to initiate the operational preparation of a coordinated, country-led and multisectoral JEE process in Türkiye, aligned with national priorities and existing preparedness structures.

Organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Türkiye and with the technical support of WHO Türkiye and the WHO Regional Office of Europe, the workshop reflects a shared commitment to strengthening health emergency preparedness and multisectoral collaboration for health security.

The JEE Orientation Workshop is co-funded by the European Union through the EU4Health programme.