Nepal finalizes IHR annual report

Kathmandu, Bagmati province - The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) and WHO Nepal, with support from The Pandemic Fund, finalized Nepal’s International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR 2005) – State Party Annual Report during a workshop held on 6 February. The event marked a key milestone in fulfilling Nepal’s obligations under Article 54 of the IHR 2005, mandating annual reporting on 15 national core capacities using State Party Self-Assessment Annual Reporting (SPAR) tool to evaluate its ability to detect, assess, notify, report and respond to public health emergencies of national and international concern. Over 80 participants, including representatives from human and animal health, food safety, environment, education, tourism and security sectors assessed Nepal’s progress through the SPAR process, underscoring the importance of cross-sector collaboration in strengthening health security governance and promoting evidence-based self-assessment. The process enabled identification of key strengths and gaps, informed priority actions, laying the foundation of targeted strategic workplans and reinforcing shared ownership of IHR implementation. WHO Nepal will continue to support the MoHP to further strengthen national health emergency preparedness and response systems.