2017 Volume 66 Issue 4 Pages 387-394
Combating communicable diseases remains a challenge for the global health community, despite the relative reduction of weight on communicable diseases in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) compared to the previous Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The efforts on core capacity development under International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) represent an important global policy agenda to strengthening security for health threats, including communicable diseases (health security). However, its global progress was slow under monitoring through self-evaluation. The World Health Organization introduced an external assessment process, called "joint external evaluation" (JEE)" in 2016 and developed a new "monitoring and evaluation framework" to foster core capacity development. This transparent and collaborative process is expected to engage multiple sectors into mid- to long-term policy planning and development towards future health security.