The International Health Regulations (IHR) are a set of regulations legally binding on 194 States Parties, including all WHO Member States. They contribute to global public health security by providing a new framework for the coordination of the management of events that may constitute a public health emergency of international concern, and will improve the capacity of all countries to detect, assess, notify and respond to public health threats.

The Regulations (2005) were adopted at the Fifty-eighth World Health Assembly on 23 May 2005 and entered into force on 15 June 2007. They require States Parties to notify a potentially wide range of events to the WHO. Implementing IHR (2005) is an obligation for WHO and States Parties to the Regulations.

The Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean supports the implementation of the IHR requirements by providing technical and legal coordination and services to Member States and relevant organizations across the Region.