Updated October 29, 2004

Archive of Meetings in
the area of Health

*****

The Meeting of the Health Ministers of the Americas took place from September 27 to October 1, 2004 in PAHO Headquarters in Washington D.C. The conference opened with a ceremony attended by Lee Jong-Wook, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO); Miguel Angel Rodriguez, Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS); and Tommy Thompson, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Nicaragua's Health Minister Dr. Jose Antonio Alvarado was chosen as president of the week-long conference.

The health ministers who make up the Directing Council, PAHO's governing body, spent the week working on defining health policies for such issues as access to medicines, scaling-up the treatment of HIV/AIDS, the Millennium Development Goals and primary health care.

A key issue that surfaced often during the deliberations was the impact on regional health systems of the hurricanes which hit the Caribbean. Ministers from the affected countries asked for help to overcome the effects of the hurricanes and tropical storms, which killed as many as 1,514 in Haiti alone. In fact, the closing session of the 45th Directing Council dealt with the lessening of the impact of natural disasters on health centers and clinics. Dr. Jean-Luc Poncelet, the head of PAHO'S emergency preparedness and disaster relief office, said that as a norm severe natural disasters leave thousands of people without health care - just when they most need it. He noted that Hurricane Ivan affected 100% of Grenada's health facilities...

For the English version of the complete report, please click Here

Para leer el reporte completo en español, por favor haga clic Aquí

“Health Partnership for Knowledge Sharing and Learning in the Americas.”

On October 15, 2003, the World Bank and the Pan American Health Organization inaugurated the initiative called “Health Partnership for Knowledge Sharing and Learning in the Americas.” This initiative uses a combination of learning methodologies and complementing technologies to connect health systems at the grassroots level, so they may share expertise to improve health services in the hemisphere.  The Partnership combines PAHO’s Virtual Campus of Public Health and the World Bank’s Global Development Learning Network, among others.  Organizations that play a role in building local health capacity in the Americas are welcome to become involved in the Partnership to work collectively towards helping the region meet its health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). 

For more information on PAHO's Virtual Campus of Public Health, please visit:
ENGLISH:  http://www.campusvirtualsp.org/eng/index.html
ESPAÑOL: http://www.campusvirtualsp.org/esp/index.html

For more information on the World Bank’s Global Development Learning Network (GDLN), please visit:
ENGLISH: http://www.gdln.org
ESPAÑOL: http://www.gdln.org/sp/index.html  
 

World Bank loan for $750 million for health services to Argentina. 
October 28, 2003

The Provincial Maternal-Child Health Sector Adjustment Loan supports the restructuring of child and maternal health care prevention in Argentina.  A new insurance program guarantees services to mothers and children in the country’s poorest provinces.  The Health Sector Reform will benefit other segments of the poor population by ensuring access to basic health services, including treatment of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis patients, delivery of nutritional supplements, and of vaccinations.    

For more information on this project, please visit:
 http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDS_IBank_Servlet?pcont=details&eid=000094946_03081304004827
 

“Increasing Investments in Health Outcomes for the Poor” 

The World Health Organization’s 2^nd Macroeconomics and Health Consultation “Increasing Investments in Health Outcomes for the Poor,” was held in Geneva, Switzerland, October 28-30, 2003.  Participants included officials from 40 developing nations, such as Brazil, whose Ministry of Health announced that the Brazilian government now provides comprehensive and free treatments to the 130.000 AIDS patients, of the more than 400.000 carriers in the country. The themes addressed at the consultation were: the effectiveness of health delivery systems and monitoring of outcomes; health in the macroeconomic framework and allocation of resources; and, predictability of external funding and increased coordination.   

The Declaration concluded that countries should continue to be supported in the preparation and implementation of national macroeconomics and health investment plans.  Member nations pledged to establish and strengthen appropriate national and sub-regional mechanisms with a specific focus on poverty reduction, and to give attention within investment plans to human resource constraints.    

For the English version of the Declaration, please visit:
http://www.who.int/macrohealth/events/health_for_poor/en/declaration_english_cover.pdf

Para leer la Declaración en español, por favor visite:
http://www.who.int/macrohealth/events/health_for_poor/en/declaration_spanish.pdf
 

“HIV/AIDS in Latin American Countries: The Challenges Ahead”  

On November 18, 2003, the World Bank released a new report “HIV/AIDS in Latin American Countries: The Challenges Ahead” that found that there is a need for better use of resources, stronger HIV/AIDS surveillance, and broader civil society participation. By September 2003, the Bank had approved over $550 million in loans to help finance the implementation of HIV/AIDS prevention and control programs in much of Latin America; the major focus of support is the Caribbean, the world's second most affected region.  

For the complete report, please visit: http://publications.worldbank.org/ecommerce/catalog/product?item_id=1192737
 

$10 million grant for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in Guyana.   

As part of the World Bank’s $155 million Caribbean Multi-Country HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Adaptable Program Lending (APL), the grant is expected to strengthen Guyana’s prevention and treatment efforts.  Guyana, which has the second highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in the Caribbean, will draw on the grant for institutional capacity strengthening, monitoring, evaluation and research; increased response by civil society groups and government ministries; and expanding the health sector response to HIV/AIDS.
 

5^th EUROLAC Forum, “Improving Health Systems Performance and Health Outcomes.” 

This forum was held in Recife, Brazil in April 13-16, 2004.  The meeting of ministers and health specialists from 52 countries is a series of technical forums on issues related to health reform.  The main focus this year was the improvement of health systems to overcome access inequity and achieve better health results in Latin America.  Participants agreed that, due to the segmentation of health systems in Latin America, increased government spending on health is necessary but insufficient to reach the health goals.  Progress towards the Millennium Development Goals is to be accelerated through improved policies and institutions; further, health spending needs to be better targeted to the poor and disadvantaged groups to reduce extreme inequities in health provision. The Forum also discussed the effects on public health of economic and social integration, and the development of free trade zones in the European Union, to learn how these experiences can be applied to the current integration process in the Americas. 

For more information on EUROLAC, please visit: www.worldbank.org/eurolac
 

Vaccination Week in the Americas (April 24-30, 2004).   

The Pan American Health Organization’s hemispheric immunization effort aimed to vaccinate approximately 40 million persons, focusing on children, those living in rural border regions, and vulnerable groups such as women and the elderly.  The campaign was extended through May in some countries to reach specific objectives, as in El Salvador and Peru. One of the lessons learned in the initiative, PAHO officials noted, is that immunization in the entire continent should be permanent, and that surveillance systems need strengthening to identify any outbreak and move rapidly to attack it. Quick reactions in recent outbreaks show that emergency interventions and vaccinations are essential to stop expansion of a disease.
 

Mexico ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (June 2004). 

Mexico was the first country in the Americas to ratify the framework convention.  The convention is the first global accord on a public health theme and the first legal instrument designed to reduce fatalities and illnesses related to tobacco.  Among other things, the convention goes after the packaging, publicity, and price of cigarettes, and seeks to protect against second-hand smoke.   

For more information, please visit:
ENGLISH: http://www.paho.org/English/DD/PIN/pr040603.htm
ESPAÑOL: http://www.paho.org/Spanish/DD/PIN/ps040603.htm
 

PAHO's Strategic Plan for 2003-2007 for the implementation of Summit mandates

The activities that PAHO will undertake related to the implementation of Summit mandates are reflected in its strategic plan for 2003 – 2007. In 2003, PAHO put together the Strategic Plan for 2003-2007. In this Plan, the Organization devotes special attention to highly indebted poor countries (HIPC), whose high levels of foreign debt leave little budgetary resources for increasing health expenditure, and to other countries in the Region where the health status of the populations is poor and health institutions and sanitary infrastructure weak. The countries designated priorities under the criteria mentioned are Bolivia, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Priority Technical Areas

·        Prevention, control, and reduction of communicable diseases. PAHO has worked on developing surveillance networks for emerging and reemerging diseases. It continues its programs for Chagas’ disease, dengue, onchocerciassis, lymphatic filariasis, soil-transmitted helminth infections, leprosy, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis as public health problems.

·        Prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases. PAHO is working on cervical cancer and violence prevention. It is also employing a multisectoral approach through the CARMEN initiative (Initiative for Noncommunicable Disease Prevention in the Americas) and the IMCI (Integrated Management of Childhood Illness) strategy.

·        Promotion of healthy lifestyles and healthy social settings. PAHO emphasizes the promotion of healthy growth and development in children and adolescents. This includes efforts to control tobacco use and promote adolescent development and healthy settings.

·        Promotion of a safe physical environment. PAHO works to improve workers’ health through the instrument known as the Toolbox for Promoting Healthy Workplaces, which has been used especially in Central America’s informal sector.

·        Disaster mitigation, preparedness, and response. Numerous technical guidelines have been issued, among them guidelines on the use of field hospitals and on the mitigation of damage to hospital infrastructure. These have been reviewed and approved by experts from the member countries and other regions, with the endorsement of WHO, ProVention, and the EIRD. At least 21 member countries have taken concrete steps to mitigate disasters in health facilities, and nearly all the countries have emergency plans, personnel, and specific resources for disaster management. The Organization has actively represented the Inter-American System and other entities in the UN’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Disaster Reduction.

·        Guarantee of universal access to integrated, equitable, and sustainable health systems. The basic lines of work in health policies and systems are extending social protection in health, reorienting sectoral reforms, strengthening the steering role of the national health authorities, the economy, financing, and regulation in health. One goal of technical cooperation is to ensure that these processes are firmly grounded in the development, execution, and evaluation of public policies and national health objectives.

·        Promotion of effective health-sector contributions to social, economic, environmental, and development policies. PAHO organized the Conference and Workshop on Climate Variability and Change and their Health Effects in the Caribbean. It also developed the Inter-American Environmental Sanitation Information System (SISAM), a dynamic instrument to assist the countries, aimed at providing an information system that covers basic institutional aspects and the quality of the services and that facilitates coordination among sectoral initiatives.

Bioterrorism:

PAHO provides technical support for the OAS’ Inter-American Committee against Terrorism. At the country level, it has promoted early warning models and improvements in the health sector’s capacity to identify and rapidly address health risks arising from the deliberate use of biological, chemical, and nuclear agents. Central America’s sectoral authorities have been trained in managing the health consequences of acts of terrorism. New resources must be allocated so as not to divert those currently devoted to dealing with other threats to public health.

International Health Regulations:

The International Health Regulations (IHR) constitute the first multilateral initiative to develop an effective framework for preventing the transborder transmission of disease. The objective of the IHR is to harmonize public health, trade, and the movement of people, animals, and goods, and today it remains the only compulsory regulations for global surveillance of infectious diseases by the Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO). In order to deal with the threat posed by the substantial increase in international travel and the potential for the rapid spread of infectious diseases, especially through air transport, in 1995 the World Health Assembly (AHS) requested a revision of the IHR in Resolution WHA 48.7. The approach to the current revision is grounded in three specific principles: (1) To ensure that all risks to public health (mainly those of infectious origin) that are of urgent international importance are reported as stipulated in the Regulations; (2) To prevent stigmatization, unnecessary harm to travel and trade, and unfounded reports from sources that are not the official sources of the Member States, which can have serious economic repercussions for the countries; and (3) To ensure that the system is sensitive enough to detect new or reemerging public health events. Discussions and meetings have already been held in subregional groups of countries, and a final revised document is anticipated by November of this year.

Framework Convention on Tobacco Control:

As of 2003, and presently, 14 countries of the Region have signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. These countries are Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The adoption of the Framework Convention and its ratification by the countries means that these countries must pass legislation that conforms to the provisions on tobacco control.

SARS in the Region:

SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), or atypical pneumonia, was first recognized in late February 2003 in Hanoi, Viet Nam, and promptly spread worldwide. In the Americas, Canada and the United States are the countries that reported the most cases, but the response throughout the Region was swift and effective. PAHO assisted the countries with the dissemination of information on this new epidemic, and with the preparation of monitoring and control protocols. Subregional meetings were held on managing the epidemic and preventing its spread, and on controlling the epidemic in countries where it had already appeared.

Control of Vaccine-preventable Diseases:

Measles:

After the introduction of a new measles genotype in the Region in September 2001, which lead first to epidemic outbreaks in Venezuela and then Colombia, PAHO promoted intense vaccination campaigns throughout the Region, which facilitated adequate control of the disease. The last case of measles genotype d9 occurred in Venezuela in November 2002, and no indigenous measles transmission has been reported in the Region since then. This extraordinary achievement can be attributed to the commitment of every government in the Region to implementing the vaccination strategy precisely as recommended by PASB.

Rubella:

Since October 2002, 41 countries, and territories in the Americas have introduced a vaccine containing the rubella virus in their national child immunization programs. Haiti, Peru, and the Dominican Republic launched immunization campaigns in 2003 and plan to do so again in 2004. Many countries have also developed specific strategies for accelerated control of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome. As the countries launch accelerated rubella control campaigns, documentation of the endemic strain in each country will become critical for determining whether a case is imported or not. Although a country may have eliminated rubella, importation of the virus could occur; this can be prevented only when other regions of the world undertake similar campaigns

Conference “A New Consensus to Confront Poverty in the Americas”

On Wednesday, 19 November the conference “Elements of a New Consensus to Confront Poverty” convened by the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development (IACD/OAS) was held at PAHO/WHO Headquarters, with the participation of the IDB’s Inter-American Initiative on Social Capital, Ethics, and Development and the Pan American Health Organization. The purpose of this conference was to discuss the principles that should govern the government policy in the Americas to overcome poverty and open the door to human progress. In attendance were some 40 experts and leaders in the areas of social and economic policy, education, health, science and technology, ethics, and social capital. A report is being drafted to assist the OAS in designing policies to fight poverty.

Special Summit of the Americas, 12-13 January 2004

In the Declaration of Nuevo León signed by the Heads of State and Government of the Americas, the mandates related to health are in the Social Development section. Leaders agreed in this area to:

- Continue to broaden our prevention, care, and promotion strategies as well as investment in this field in an effort to provide quality health care for all and to improve, to the extent possible, social protection for all people, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable segments of society.

-         Combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic by intensifying our prevention, care, and treatment efforts within the Hemisphere.

-         Facilitate affordable treatment for HIV/AIDS, with the goal of providing antiretroviral therapy to all who need it as soon as possible and to at least 600,000 individuals needing treatment by the year 2005.

- Urge the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to identify criteria to enable the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to have greater access to its resources.

- Reinforce promotion, prevention, control, and treatment programs for emerging diseases and reemerging diseases, such as malaria, dengue, yellow fever, tuberculosis, leprosy, Chagas, and others, continuing to develop and strengthen technical cooperation strategies among the countries of the region, and inter-American agencies and key actors, with a view to implementing integral public health activities for the control and eradication of these diseases.

Meeting of the Ministers of Health of the Americas

The Ministers of Health of the Americas met for the 44th Steering Committee of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington, D.C. on September 22 to 26, 2003 at PAHO headquarters.  During the meeting, the Ministers defined, amongst other issues, a new focus for taking joint action to combat infectious diseases, reduce violence and improve health services and vaccination programs.

During this meeting, the Ministers set new goals and issued the following goals and recommendations:

• Eradicate rubella by 2010
• Expand the scope of vaccinations against influenza in high-risk towns and villages
• Focus on the reemergence of dengue
• Due to the increase in domestic and urban violence, the fight against violence should form part health care programs

Primary Health Care appeared as a central theme on the agenda of the Steering Committee, which was raised in discussions held by delegates, expert panels, and during roundtables.  The Ministers recognized the positive impact of the provision of Primary Health Care on the overall improvement in the health of the peoples of the Americas during the past 25 years as well as the validity of associated principles and values to counter challenges present in the 21st Century.   They further stressed their fundamental role in the fulfillment of the political and social objectives of equity and social justice, ethical imperatives expressed in the Health For All initiative and its implementation as an agent for change in continental public health care practices.  The Ministers reaffirmed in an enthusiastic and unanimous manner--noting the need to promote a conceptual and practical process of reform--their commitment to the Health for All and Primary Health Care initiatives as strategies to develop a new Regional Declaration on Primary Health Care.  This will support the plan issued for the Celebration of the 25 Anniversary of the Alma Ata proposed by the Secretariat of PAHO and is also relevant to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

During the meeting, the Director of PAHO, Dr. Mirta Roses Periago, reported on the progress made in this area and the remaining challenges.  The Director cited the development of health indicators, citing specifically those for life expectancy and infant mortality.  Nonetheless, she recalled that these advances nevertheless reflect an unequal distribution, indicating the need for strategies that decrease inequalities. 

The representatives of PAHO and of CARICOM announced the creation of a new regional commission for the promotion of the investment in health care programs. This Caribbean Commission on Health and Development will be directed by the former director of PAHO, Dr. George Alleyne.  The objective of this Commission will be to provide training in order to increase the investment in the health sector in the 15 CARICOM Member States.

13th Inter-American Ministerial Meeting on Health and Agriculture

The 13th Inter-American Meeting, at the Ministerial Level, on Health and Agriculture (RIMSA 13) was held at the Headquarters of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington, D.C., from 24 to 25 April 2003.

During the inaugural session, Dr. Roses, Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau (PASB) highlighted that the RIMSA meeting is a technical and political regional forum established more than 30 years ago.  Intersectoral coordination between health and agriculture, “one of the central strategies of the Declaration of Alma-Ata on primary health care” were discussed. Dr. Roses pointed out the fundamental roles played by agriculture and health in fostering public health, food security and rural development.  She also stressed the achievements made by PAHO and its Member States in the eradication of foot-and-mouth disease, the sustained elimination of human rabies and cholera, and the successful efforts to keep the Americas free of BSE.  She concluded with a call to enhance the synergism of the work of PAHO and its Member States.

His Excellency, Mr. Jorge Batlle, President of the Republic of Uruguay, addressed the assembly. He emphasized the strategic importance of achieving food security and safety for all. He stressed that the continent is only one and made a call to the responsibilities of all governments in this task.  He ended by sending a call to make quick and safe progress toward consolidating the regional integration initiative with a continental vision.

The Honorable Ann Veneman, Secretary of Agriculture of the United States of America delivered the keynote address, entitled “Towards the Harmonization of Food Safety and Trade in the Americas”. She stressed the vital role of intersectoral coordination between health and agriculture to achieve a safe food supply and the harmonization of science—based regulations, norms and standards to facilitate regional and global trade.

Delegates from 33 Member states participated in the Meeting, among them 25 Ministers of Health and 27 Ministers of Agriculture or their Representatives. Officers from other technical cooperation, financing and private sector agencies participated as observers—among the latter, associations of livestock producers and consumers, the food industry, non-governmental organizations and universities.

The theme of the RIMSA 13 was “Food Safety: From Production to Consumption.”  The subject was presented and discussed in different panels. Subregional country experiences were presented in the first panel where the following topics were presented: Fresh Produce, Spanish Food Agency, Caribbean Food Safety Initiative, Fisheries and Seafood Industry, and Livestock and Livestock Products.  It was stressed that the RIMSA serves as a model forum for a holistic approach to developing food safety programs involving not only agriculture and health but also all the social actors involved.

The second panel focused on International Cooperation on Food Safety and Security—Global Perspective. Presentations were made on the following topics: Food Security, Food Safety and Trade, Expanding Mandate of the International Office of Epizootics, and Report of the Evaluation of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. It was noted that increasing livestock densities in humid and warm ecologies contribute to higher frequency and exposure to animal disease agents, both endemic and epidemic, including those of zoonotic nature. The rights of governments to give priority to public health, while ensuring that unjustified barriers to trade are not imposed, were stressed. The panel also addressed the need for international organizations to provide official reports to governments, based on duly documented and credible information on the status of international animal health. The delegates underscored the need for Member States to develop scientifically sound international regulations, norms and standards for consumer health protection and fair food trade practices.

The third panel discussed “Agriculture, Health and Rural Development.” Presentations were made on the following topics: IICA/PAHO Strategic Alliance, Public and Private Goods in a Global Market, Participation and Civic Engagement in Poverty Reduction Strategy, and Human Development and Prosperity in Rural Communities. The delegates emphasized that food safety will continue to play a major role in public health and the agri-food trade, and international specialized organizations are expected to keep their roles as key components in the global food regulatory framework. It was stressed that the principal areas for joint activities between agriculture and health to generate the necessary synergy for human sustainable development and the prosperity of rural communities are: food security, food safety, animal health and prevention/control and elimination of zoonoses.  The model of healthy and productive municipalities, allied with primary health care strategy, is an excellent mechanism to achieve these goals. The delegates recognized that sustainable programs are complex and their success depends on an integrated approach involving agriculture, health and the other social sectors.

Three special presentations were delivered and discussed: Dr. Lester Crawford (Deputy Commissioner, United States Food and Drug Administration), made a presentation on Bioterrorism—the Threat in the Western Hemisphere. He stressed the interdependence of countries and the importance of working together to prevent deliberate contamination of food by chemical, biological or nuclear agents, which can occur at any vulnerable point along the food chain, from farm to table.  Dr. Matias de Nicola, Director, National Institute of Food, Argentina (INAL) presented the Report of the Regional Meeting on Genetically Modified Food. Finally, Dr. Kaare Norum (Chair of the WHO Reference Group to the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity, and Health) presented the Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases. Dr. Norum indicated that the report stressed the need to take a strong political decision to develop multisectoral actions to ensure an adequate agricultural and livestock production to meet the needs of a healthy diet, as well as the need for community education to increase physical activity.

For more information, please visit the PAHO website.

26^th Pan- American Sanitary Conference

Health Ministers of the Americas met at the Pan- American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington D.C. on September 23-27 for the 26^th Pan- American Sanitary Conference.  Member countries elected Dr. Mirta Roses Periago from Argentina as Director of the Pan American Health Organization.  Her five-year term will begin in February 2003. 

A special fund was created to reduce maternal mortality in the Americas.    HIV/AIDS was another priority subject. On this point, health ministers requested that countries meet the goals of the United Nations Declaration on HIV/AIDS, especially those aimed at preventing HIV infection; providing care, support, and treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS; and reducing the stigma and social exclusion associated with the epidemic.  Ministers were also urged to explore new ways to reduce the price of antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of people living with AIDS.

On vaccines and immunization, health ministers set a goal of 95 percent vaccination coverage of all children in all countries, a necessary step to ensure the success of PAHO's measles elimination program. In order to achieve equity in immunization in the hemisphere, uniform quality immunization coverage at all levels must be attained, as well as the provision of a supportive political and technical environment for the Americas to benefit from additional new or under-used vaccines of public health importance.  

Another important priority is the expansion of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy.  This strategy is currently utilized in 17 countries with high infant mortality rates and has already saved tens of thousands of lives. It is now being incorporated into graduate and undergraduate curricula to educate and train health workers at all levels in the treatment of children.

IICA and PAHO Sign an Agreement to Fight Poverty

On June 2, 2002, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) met in Barbados during the XXXII OAS General Assembly to sign an agreement to begin a cooperation program between the rural and agricultural sectors, in order to fight poverty in the rural areas of the Americas. The agreement was subscribed to by the Director of PAHO, Dr. George A.O. Alleyne, and  the General Director of IICA, Dr. Chelston W.D. Brathwaite.

Since 1983, PAHO and IICA have had a General Cooperation Agreement of unlimited duration with the objective of contributing to the increase and better use of food production, and to improving health and rural life in their Member States. Through this new agreement, IICA and PAHO will strengthen their joint technical cooperation activities in order to give support to the countries of the Americas in the achievement of health and prosperity in their rural areas.  These institutions also carry out joint actions within the framework of the Summit process, such as information exchange and participation of both organizations in preparatory activities and in the ministerial meetings of health and agriculture and rural life.

Dr. George A.O. Alleyne, the Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), convened a consultation meeting of experts on Bioterrorism on October 24, 2001, in Washington, DC. The objective of this meeting was to analyze the assistance and technical cooperation that PAHO will offer to the countries of the Americas in the efficient prevention, control and response to the security threats posed by this type of terrorism, since it endangers public health in the continent. For more information on this meeting, please click here.

Meeting of Health Ministers of the Americas 

From September 24-28, 2001, a Meeting of Health Ministers of the Americas took place in Washington, DC.  At the meeting, participating delegations approved five resolutions.  The first approved resolution considers the prevention and control of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fevers in the hemisphere.  This resolution calls on Member States of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to promote inter-sectorial coordination, the adoption of sustainable measures in the areas of urban planning and services, public participation in programs for controlling dengue, the loaning of adequate assistance to the sick and the normalization of dengue case reporting. 

The second approved resolution takes into account mental health and how to diminish the stigmas and discrimination against those who suffer from this type of sickness.  Another resolution urges Member States to revise International Health Regulations, both at the national and regional levels.  The fourth resolution considers the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which was created upon recognizing the massive amount of tobacco use in the Americas and the negative consequences that it has on human health and the environment.  The participants also approved a fifth resolution on health promotion, which urges Member States to make health a priority within its plans and programs at the local and national levels. 

For more information on this Ministerial, please click here.

PAHO Report on the Summit of the Americas 

During its session of June 25-29, 2001, the Executive Committee of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) presented the Report on the Third Summit of the Americas (pdf format), which analyses the development of the Summit of the Americas process and examines the many questions that the continent faces in regards to health in the region, as a result of this process.  It also considers the role of PAHO within the framework of the Summit and urges it to continue supporting countries as they implement each Summit mandate.

Gender Inequality Recognized as Root Cause for Spread of HIV and AIDS

The United Nations General Assembly held a historic Special Session on HIV/AIDS from 24-27 June, during which there was overwhelming recognition by governments that gender inequality was fueling the epidemic. Participating in numerous panels and roundtables, UNIFEM's Executive Director called a 5-point Plan of Action to:  Guarantee Women and Girls Equal Access to Prevention and Treatment; Prioritize Educating and Informing Women and Girls about HIV/AIDS; Recognize Gender Equality in Policy; Provide Women Controlled Prevention Methods and Gender Sensitive HIV/AIDS Related Data; End HIV Transmissions in Conflict Situations;  UNIFEM's Executive Director also stressed that the design of the Global Fund for AIDS must put gender equality at its center.  For more information, visit www.unifem.undp.org.

XII Inter-American Meeting, at the Ministerial Level, on Health and Agriculture 

For the first time ever, Ministers of Health and Agriculture participated in the XII Inter-American Meeting on Health and Agriculture, which took place on May 2-4, 2001, in São Paulo, Brazil.  The objective of the meeting was to discuss matters of common interest for the health and agriculture sectors in the region.  The discussion included two panels: one on community participation in food protection and the other on zoonoses of importance for the economy and public health.  Participants, including delegates from 35 Member States and at the Ministerial level, also considered the implications of reforms in the livestock sector for the eradication of foot-and-mouth disease and other aspects of animal health, productive municipios and food security at the local level.  For more information on this event, please see the Report on the XII Inter-American Meeting, at the Ministerial Level, on Health and Agriculture.

Updated October 29, 2004