Joint external evaluation of the International Health Regulations (‎2005)‎ core capacities of Sri Lanka: mission report: 4-8 September 2023

Sri Lanka has a long and impressive history of strong leadership and commitment to International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) compliance and health security. Health security in Sri Lanka dates back to 1897 when the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases (QPD) Ordinance was enacted. Since the implementation of the IHR (2005) in 2007, Sri Lanka has made steady progress in implementing and developing IHR core capacities. In June 2017, Sri Lanka became one of the first countries in South-East Asia to conduct a Joint External Evaluation for IHR (JEE-IHR), using JEE Tool version 1, and prepare a National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) for the five-year period of 2019–2023. In addition, Sri Lanka completed an IHR-Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) National Bridging Workshop in February 2023, where the country’s human and animal health services reviewed their current collaboration strengths and gaps in key technical areas and developed a joint road map to improve work and coordination at the animal–human interface in the prevention, detection and control of zoonotic diseases. Sri Lanka also conducted a national workshop on strategic assessment of emergency risks using the Strategic Tool to Assess Risk in May 2023 to derive a national emergency risk profile, annual risk calendar, and recommendations to select and order the capacity-building interventions to be included in the next NAPHS, based on the priority actions stemming from this second JEE exercise.