Background on Luxembourg’s UHPR
Luxembourg is undertaking the Universal Health and Preparedness Review (UHPR) as part of its commitment to strengthen national health emergency preparedness and response capacities. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical need for enhanced health security, prompting Luxembourg to voluntarily engage in this WHO-led peer review mechanism.
The UHPR is a high-level, Member State-led process that encourages transparent, peer-to-peer evaluation of comprehensive national health emergency preparedness. It fosters multisectoral collaboration and aims to identify gaps and strengthen capacities to effectively manage health emergencies.
High-level mission (27–28 November): A key event bringing together country leaders, policy-makers, WHO and EU representatives to discuss findings, conduct a discussion-based exercise and set priorities. This mission also serves as a platform for multisectoral engagement and supports mobilization of resources for sustainable preparedness investments.
This high-level mission marks a significant milestone in Luxembourg’s efforts to enhance health security and preparedness, fostering collaboration and commitment at the highest levels of government.
Why Luxembourg is undertaking the UHPR:
- commitment to health security: building on lessons learned from COVID-19 and enhancing national preparedness; and
- promoting transparency and political commitment: the UHPR is a WHO-established mechanism promoting transparent, peer-led review of health emergency readiness.
Benefits of the UHPR for Luxembourg:
- multisectoral coordination: encourages collaboration across government ministries and sectors, strengthening solidarity and accountability;
- national action plan: results in a targeted action plan addressing identified preparedness gaps;
- global visibility: demonstrates Luxembourg’s commitment to aligning with international health regulations such as the International Health Regulations and EU cross-border health threat regulations; and
- non-binding recommendations: provides constructive feedback while respecting national sovereignty.
Actions taken to prepare for the UHPR:
- national structures: establishment of a National Commission and Secretariat to coordinate the UHPR process;
- consultations and data collection: engagement of experts and stakeholders to gather comprehensive data on health crisis preparedness; and
- national report: drafting a detailed report incorporating assessments and recommendations, including from the EU’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness Assessment.