International Health Regulations Orientation Programme

Why an IHR Orientation Programme?

The IHR Orientation Programme aims to contribute to effective implementation of the IHR in respective countries by ensuring a consistent understanding of the State Party rights and obligations of persons who perform IHR functions within 3 months of their assignment.

For whom?

This programme is designed for newly appointed:

  • National IHR Focal Points (NFPs) and WHO IHR Contact Points
  • IHR Stakeholders

The IHR Orientation Programme is also meant for professionals already fulfilling these functions to consolidate their knowledge on selected areas based on their specific needs.

What is the content of the programme?

The IHR Orientation Programme is composed of 2 learning blocks including various modules:

01IHR Essentials:

  • IHR1 Health security in the context of IHR
  • IHR2 Overview of the IHR
  • IHR3 Overview of NFPs
  • IHR4 Multisectoral collaboration in the context of IHR
  • IHR5 IHR Monitoring and Evaluation Framework
  • IHR6 National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS)

02NFP Specifics:

  • NFP1 NFP center accessibility 24/7/365
  • NFP2 Urgent communications with the regional WHO IHR Contact Point
  • NFP3 Dissemination of information to relevant national sectors
  • NFP4 Consolidating input from relevant national sectors
  • NFP5 Conditions enabling NFP functions
  • NFP6 Competencies to perform NFP functions effectively

How is the programme designed?

The programme enables you to define YOUR “IHR learning pathway” tailored to your specific needs. Three options are available:

IHR Stakeholder Learning Pathway:

for professionals from the human or animal health sector, environment, food and agriculture, transport, travel and trade, education, defense; for professionals from non-government sectors supporting the implementation of the IHR, and senior managers who have some responsibility for public health security in their country.

NFP Learning Pathway:

for professionals at the NFP and WHO IHR Contact Points.

"A la carte" Learning Pathway:

for all professionals or students interested in learning about the IHR. This pathway will be composed by the learner himself based on his areas of interest. To engage in this pathway learners may self-assess their learning needs on IHR related areas, or simply select the modules they wish to complete.

How to start?

Start by assessing your learning needs with an IHR self-assessment questionnaire. Upon submission of your answers you will be offered a tailor-made learning pathway. Alternatively, you will have the possibility to skip the questionnaire and select the training modules you wish to complete (not recomended).