On 10 March 2022, ASLM’s LabCoP convened a session on external quality assessment (EQA) for SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging viruses. EQA is a vital tool that provides objective evidence on the credibility of reporting test results, and labs are required to use it to monitor their performance. Conditions for the implementation of EQA vary, depending on the location, and may face specific challenges in resource-limited settings. Presentations were made by Prof Jan Felix Drexler, Head, Virus Epidemiology Laboratory; and Carlo Fischer of the Institute of Virology, Charite – Universitäts medizin Berlin. They discussed the experience from the European CDC EQAs for SARS-CoV-2 detection and variant typing in European reference laboratories, the experience from the EQAs for emerging viruses in resource-limited settings and challenges in preparing EQAs suitable for tropical settings. Please follow the links here to view the recorded ECHO session and download the presentation slides.