Attachments
Overview
The Joint External Evaluation (JEE) team expresses its appreciation to Tonga for volunteering for a JEE using the third edition of the JEE tool. This revised third edition of the tool incorporates relevant lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies.
The JEE team sincerely appreciates Tonga’s efforts to meet the requirements of the JEE process and the warm hospitality extended to the team. All countries that make the effort to undergo the JEE process should be commended for their transparency and commitment to strengthening global health security.
Findings from the joint external evaluation
During the JEE mission, which took place in Nuku’alofa from 27 April to 3 May 2024, Tonga’s capacities in 19 technical areas were evaluated through a peer-to-peer, consultative process that brought together a multisectoral group of national subject matter experts and a multinational, multidisciplinary JEE team for discussions, interactions, and selected site visits.
After a week of collaborative talks, the process led to consensus on scores and priority actions across the 19 technical areas.
The evaluation also generated six overarching recommendations that, if implemented, will consolidate Tonga’s progress and address bottlenecks that might impede the implementation of agreed priority actions. These recommendations, outlined below, address cross-cutting challenges that affect Tonga’s capacities across many of the technical areas explored during the JEE process.