•Respiratory viruses mutate and evolve rapidly to cause epidemics and pandemics.•WHO-GISRS is a global surveillance mechanism for influenza and respiratory viruses.•ILI and SARI surveillance led by WHO NICs remains weak in many parts of the world.•Surveillance through NICs must be strengthened for timely outbreak detection.•We have suggested strategies to strengthen surveillance through NICs. The global influenza surveillance and response system (GISRS), coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), is a global framework for surveillance of influenza and other respiratory viruses, data collection, laboratory capacity building, genomic data submission and archival, standardization, and calibration of reagents and vaccine strains, production of seasonal influenza vaccines and creating a facilitatory regulatory environment for the same. WHO-designated national influenza centers (NICs) are entrusted with establishing surveillance in their respective countries. National and subnational surveillance remains weak in most parts of the world because of varying capacities of the NICs, lack of funds, poor human and veterinary surveillance mechanisms, lack of intersectoral coordination, and varying commitments of the local government. As influenza viruses have a wide variety of nonhuman hosts, it is critical to strengthen surveillance at local levels for timely detection of untypable or novel strains with potential to cause epidemics or pandemics. In this article, we have proposed possible strategies to strengthen and expand local capacities for respiratory virus surveillance through the designated NICs of the WHO. Proposed mechanism for strengthening local or subnational respiratory virus surveillance and response. Display omitted