Event highlights
Republic of Moldova progresses with second Joint External Evaluation to strengthen health emergency preparedness
The Republic of Moldova is progressing towards its second Joint External Evaluation (JEE) under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005), reinforcing its ongoing commitment to national and global health security. The evaluation brought together 15 experts from multiple countries, technical institutions and international organizations. Working in close collaboration with their Moldovan counterparts, the technical experts assessed the country’s capacities to prevent, detect and rapidly respond to public health threats.
The JEE international team worked closely with the Ministry of Health and the National Agency for Public Health, supported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and its bodies: General Inspectorate of Border Police, Customs Service and General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and National Food Safety Agency, and National Agency for the Regulation of Nuclear and Radiological Activities – a total of 25 state institutions.
During the mission’s opening session, State Secretary of the Ministry of Health Dr Angela Paraschiv said: “Since the first exercise in 2018, the Republic of Moldova has faced major challenges such as the COVID‑19 pandemic, the energy crisis and the refugee crisis, which have once again highlighted the need to strengthen emergency response capacities. In recent years, significant progress has been made, including the modernization of the public health legislative framework, the adoption of the early warning system and the approval of the new Regulation on the epidemiological surveillance system for communicable diseases and serious cross‑border threats. These actions, together with the approval of the updated list of communicable diseases, reflect the country’s commitment to advancing the implementation of the IHR and aligning with European standards as part of the European Union association process.”
JEE process
JEE is a voluntary, collaborative and multisectoral process that helps countries to understand their strengths and identify priority gaps across both human and animal health systems. It evaluates preparedness for public health risks, regardless of whether they arise naturally, accidentally or deliberately. Throughout the mission, the international and national teams worked together to develop recommendations aimed at further strengthening the Republic of Moldova’s health emergency preparedness and response capacities.
Dr Miljana Grbic, WHO Representative to the Republic of Moldova, highlighted: “Strong preparedness in every country contributes to a safer, more resilient global health architecture because diseases do not respect borders. The evaluation helps to ensure that the Republic of Moldova’s capacities align with international expectations, reinforcing regional and global health security connection. WHO has increasingly supported the Republic of Moldova with technical expertise, rapid response guidance and capacity‑building initiatives, as well as donations of medical and laboratory equipment across multiple sectors. I hope the JEE will provide clear, actionable recommendations that translate into a stronger national health system capable of detecting and responding to threats quickly. These improvements mean better protection of people’s health, safety and well-being during emergencies.”
Mark Salter, JEE Team Lead, emphasized: “The JEE brings Moldovan and international experts together to review 19 core public health capacities and identify realistic, fundable steps to strengthen the country’s readiness. The process is collaborative rather than prescriptive, relying on peer-to-peer work, shared experience and months of preparation by Moldovan teams to build consensus on next steps. This approach not only improves technical capacity, but also strengthens long-term professional networks, integration into the global health community and the Republic of Moldova’s ability to meet international health standards.”
The JEE was facilitated by WHO and is an important element of WHO support to Member States to better prepare for, prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks and other health emergencies. WHO remains a strong partner of the Republic of Moldova in advancing national and global health security, protecting vulnerable populations and helping to keep the world safe.
In 2025, the Republic of Moldova conducted a comprehensive internal evaluation using the WHO JEE tool to assess its own capacities. International experts reviewed the self-evaluation findings, conducted site visits and discussed presentations for each technical area with national stakeholders.
The Republic of Moldova conducted its first JEE in 2018 and will be the sixth of the 55 States Parties to the IHR (2005) in the WHO European Region to undertake a second JEE.
The second JEE in the Republic of Moldova is funded by the Pandemic Fund, a multistakeholder partnership developed by the World Bank in close collaboration with WHO. The technical expertise provided for the JEE is co-funded by the European Union through the EU4Health programme.
Event notice
For the second time, the Republic of Moldova has volunteered to undertake a Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of its implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR, 2005). The mission will take place on 16–20 March 2026 in Chișinău and will bring together 15 international technical experts from multiple countries, technical institutions and international organizations. Working in dialogue with national experts, the team will evaluate Moldova’s capacity to prevent, detect and rapidly respond to public health threats.
A JEE is a voluntary, collaborative, multisectoral process used to assess a country’s capacities to manage public health risks, whether they occur naturally or result from deliberate or accidental events. It helps countries identify the most critical gaps across human and animal health systems and prioritize actions to strengthen preparedness and response. During the mission, recommendations will be developed to support Moldova in further strengthening health emergency preparedness and response capacities.
The JEE is facilitated by WHO and is an important element of WHO support to Member States to better prepare for, prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks and other health emergencies. WHO remains a strong partner of the Government of the Republic of Moldova in advancing national and global health security, protecting vulnerable populations and helping to keep the world safe.
Moldova conducted its first JEE in 2018 and will be the sixth of the 55 States Parties to the IHR (2005) in the WHO European Region to undertake a second JEE.
The second JEE in Moldova is funded by the Pandemic Fund, a multistakeholder partnership developed by the World Bank in close collaboration with WHO. The technical expertise provided for the JEE is co-funded by the European Union through the EU4Health programme.