Armenia’s Resilience: Overcoming Challenges and Strengthening Public Health Capacities in the Face of Complex Emergencies

In December 2023, Armenia underwent a JEE mission to evaluate its technical capacities in 19 areas. The process involved national subject matter experts and the JEE team, resulting in consensus on scores and priority actions across all areas. Despite being significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Armenia has been working to develop and improve its public health capabilities and capacities.

The recent humanitarian crisis caused by the military conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh highlighted the importance of being prepared to respond to complex emergencies that require collaboration between public health, security, and other concerned sectors. The forced displacement of over 100 thousand refugees brought a variety of health issues, underscoring the need for strengthened capacities in this area.

After reviewing field visits and technical discussions, an external team identified cross-cutting themes and challenges that impact all 19 technical areas. Based on these findings, four recommendations have been proposed to address these challenges and improve Armenia’s capacity in key technical areas. These recommendations will help ensure that Armenia is better equipped to handle future crises and maintain its commitment to strengthening its IHR core capacities.