The World Health Organization (WHO) Benchmarks for International Health Regulations (IHR) Capacities1 were first published in 2019. Using the principle of benchmarking, a strategic process used to standardize performance in relation to a sector’s best practices, the document acts as a tool to help guide States Parties, partners, donors and international and national organizations improve IHR capacities for health security. The benchmarks contain suggested actions which can be used to address gaps identified by IHR monitoring and evaluation framework (MEF) tools as steps to assist improvement in capacity levels. The tool is also intended to assist States Parties in developing a national action plan for health security (NAPHS). Since publication in 2019, much has changed in the world of health security. The key IHR MEF tools have been updated (Joint external evaluations2 (JEE) and States Parties Annual Reporting (SPAR) tool3 ) and the COVID-19 pandemic impacted populations and health globally, demonstrating gaps in health security. Therefore, although only four years old, the WHO Benchmarks for IHR Capacities are well due for an update to reflect this changed global landscape.