Joint TMO-WHO news release
16 May 2025, Rarotonga, Cook Islands – The Cook Islands’ Te Marae Ora (Ministry of Health) has conducted the country’s first Joint External Evaluation (JEE) for health security in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), with funding support from the Polynesian Health Corridors and the Governments of Australia, China, New Zealand and the European Union. The JEE mission week began on 12 May and concluded today, presenting key recommendations to strengthen health security in the Cook Islands.
The JEE is a voluntary, multisectoral process that assesses a nation’s capacity to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to public health risks, aligning with the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005). It is one of the key approaches to review and monitor the implementation of the core capacities under IHR (2005). The Cook Islands is the seventh Pacific Island country to conduct the JEE.
“Our home, the Cook Islands, is vulnerable to public health emergencies, including disasters, outbreaks, and the impacts of climate change. This is why strengthening health security is a priority for us, not only in the health sector, but also making sure that we work together with our government and civil society partners across many sectors,” said Honourable Vainetutai Rose Toki-Brown, Minister of Health for the Cook Islands. “We welcome the health security experts and thank them for their time in helping us evaluate our health security core capacities. We look forward to implementing the recommendations from the JEE and putting them to good use in our planning for a more resilient and healthier Cook Islands.”
IHR (2005) is a legally binding instrument that provides a framework for countries to prevent and respond to the international spread of diseases, through 19 core capacities. The Cook Islands is a State Party to the IHR (2005), alongside other WHO Member States. As part of the IHR monitoring and evaluation framework, the Cook Islands also conducted the Strategic Tool for Assessing Risks (STAR) and the IHR States Parties Self-Assessment Annual Report (SPAR) prior to the JEE mission. To boost health security measures, the Cook Islands Parliament passed the country’s revised Public Health Act, enacted into law in 2024. In addition, consolidating all the lessons identified from the COVID-19 pandemic response, the National Pandemic Preparedness Plan (NPPP) was also launched in 2024.
The JEE this week brought together around 60 national and international experts on health security, with the mission led by Dr Mark Jacobs, WHO’s Director of Pacific Technical Support, and co-led by Mrs Elizabeth Serlemitsos, an independent expert from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The team worked closely with the Honourable Health Minister Brown, Health Secretary Bob Williams, and other government representatives and partners during the week-long JEE mission, assessing various technical areas, including surveillance, health service delivery, immunization, risk communication and community engagement, antimicrobial resistance, biosafety and biosecurity, zoonoses, point of entry and border health, human resources, financing, and coordination and advocacy. The JEE also included site visits to key locations, such as health facilities, ports, airports, and infrastructure sites across Rarotonga and Pa Enua (outer islands), particularly Aitutaki Island, Southern Group.
“The Cook Islands has always been a strong champion for health security, and volunteering for the JEE is another step towards strengthening these capacities,” said Dr Nuha Mahmoud, Acting Head of the WHO Representative Office for Samoa, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau. “We thank the Ministry of Health for the warm welcome in the islands, but most importantly, for their diligent efforts in preparing for this mission. Their work has provided us with a comprehensive view of the current health security situation, not only in Rarotonga but with due consideration for the services and access for the Pa Enua. We at WHO look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Cook Islands and our partners to further strengthen their health security.”
At the conclusion of the JEE mission today, several important recommendations were provided. These recommendations include mapping and evaluating existing IHR-related plans, developing a national plan for simulation exercises, and ensuring the resilience of essential functions during health emergencies. They emphasize enhancing multisectoral coordination and collaboration through the establishment of a National IHR Authority, implementing a One Health approach, and improving communication and connectivity, especially for the Pa Enua. Additionally, they highlight the need to invest in human resources and infrastructure, increase capacities in infection prevention and control, conduct vulnerability assessments of health facilities, and develop a costed, prioritized five-year national action plan for health security.
A JEE mission report is expected to be published after a few months, detailing the recommendations and priority actions in key technical areas. The Cook Islands will utilize these recommendations to formulate their national action plan for health security, ensuring a safer and healthier health system for its people and communities.
Media contacts:
Howard Tangimetua
Communications and Public Relations Advisor
Te Marae Ora – Cook Islands
howard.tangimetua@cookislands.gov.ck
+682 29664
Faizza Tanggol
Communications for Partnerships Officer
WHO Representative Office for Samoa, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau
Mobile: +685 764 3052
Email: tanggolf@who.int