As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen health security in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), EMPHNET collaborated with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) through the International Health Regulations Strengthening Project (IHR-SP), aiming to support countries in the implementation of the World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations (2005), with a focus on strengthening surveillance systems, improving multisectoral coordination, and enhancing readiness for emerging climate-related public health threats.

Building on this shared commitment, EMPHNET and UKHSA worked closely with national public health authorities across selected EMR countries to translate IHR-SP priorities into practical actions. This collaboration was reflected in a set of insightful initiatives.

The first initiative focused on strengthening Multisectoral Coordination (MSC) for health security through the establishment of a practical regional MSC network. Recognizing the growing intersection of health threats with sectors such as animal health, environmental management, border control, and security, the initiative aimed to enhance collaboration, information sharing, and joint preparedness across Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, and Pakistan, with particular emphasis on the One Health and border health approaches.

The MSC network was advanced through a four-day regional workshop in Jordan, which brought together national focal points from participating countries to define shared priorities and coordination mechanisms. Participants were introduced to the network structure and resource hub and developed both regional and country-specific multisectoral coordination workplans.

This initiative resulted in participating countries developing actionable national plans to strengthen multisectoral coordination. It also led to the launch of a Community of Practice through dedicated communication channels, facilitating continuous information sharing, learning, and coordination among members.

Another key initiative focused on strengthening the integration of climate and environmental epidemiology within Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETPs) across the EMR, in alignment with the IHR core capacities, particularly in surveillance, risk assessment, and response. Recognizing that climate change, environmental degradation, and toxicological risks are increasingly shaping disease patterns and outbreak dynamics, the initiative addressed the need to embed these emerging public health challenges within applied field epidemiology training.

As part of this process, a regional workshop was convened in Amman, bringing together FETP experts, environmental and climate health specialists, and academic representatives from across the region. The workshop supported curriculum development based on Findings from a recent regional Delphi process and built on prior regional consultations. Discussions focused on integrating climate change and environmental epidemiology into existing FETP competency frameworks.

Participants worked to define priority competencies, translate them into measurable learning objectives, and design structured modules covering climate-sensitive surveillance, outbreak investigation, exposure and risk assessment, risk communication, and multisectoral collaboration. The curriculum also incorporated field-based learning and practical case studies to ensure its applicability within national public health systems.

Building on this work, the next 3–6 months will focus on finalizing the curriculum framework, developing detailed content and training materials, and conducting reviews to ensure quality and relevance. This initiative contributes to strengthening the regional public health workforce by equipping field epidemiologists with the skills needed to address climate-sensitive health threats, while reinforcing preparedness and response capacities.

A further area of collaboration between EMPHNET and UKHSA focused on strengthening Integrated Disease Surveillance (IDS) across selected countries. In Morocco, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MoHSP), four training workshops were successfully conducted to support the expansion of Event-Based Surveillance (EBS), with particular emphasis on the community-based surveillance (CBS) component in the Fès–Meknès, Tangier–Tétouan–Al Hoceïma, and Rabat–Salé–Kénitra regions, as well as the strengthening of surveillance at Points of Entry. This initiative contributes to reinforcing early detection and reporting of public health events under the One Health approach and forms part of ongoing national efforts to expand and institutionalize the EBS system across the remaining regions of the country.

In parallel, in Egypt, Libya, and Mauritania, four targeted capacity-building workshops were conducted in partnership with Ministries of Health, Africa CDC, and UKHSA to strengthen national and subnational capacities for EBS and support its practical application within country systems. The workshops aimed to enhance practical understanding of EBS concepts, including event detection, verification, reporting, and response, while also fostering improved coordination among stakeholders involved in surveillance and public health response.

Overall, these workshops contributed to advancing country-level priorities for strengthening surveillance systems and provided a platform for technical exchange and context-specific discussions on opportunities for further improvement.

Collectively, these initiatives provide an integrated approach to health security by improving early detection and reporting, promoting coordinated action across sectors, and building public health workforce capacity to anticipate, prevent, and respond to current and future risks.

Sustaining and building on these efforts will be essential to ensuring continued progress toward stronger preparedness and response capacities across the region, in line with national priorities and global health security commitments.