Health
For more information on activities in the area of Health,
please see the following Web pages:

Miami  Summit of the Americas Santa Cruz Summit for Sustainable Development Santiago  Summit of the Americas Quebec City Summit of the Americas Special Summit of the Americas: Monterrey, Mexico January 12-13, 2004

Health mandates from the
Third Summit of the Americas

Health

Recognizing that good physical and mental health is essential for a productive and fulfilling life, and that equitable access to quality health services is a critical element in the development of democratic societies, the Heads of State and Government of the Americas affirmed their commitment to support health actions in the Hemisphere as an important component of the Summit Process.  In support of this commitment, hemispheric leaders addressed health issues at the Summits of the Americas in the following ways: 

At the Miami Summit in 1994, health objectives focused on child, maternal and reproductive health interventions, including prenatal, delivery and postnatal care, family planning information and services, immunizations and programs aimed at reducing the other major causes of infant mortality.  

At the Santiago Summit in 1998, emphasis was placed on the development and implementation of effective low-cost health technologies as a means towards poverty eradication. Leaders recognized and committed themselves, with the technical support of Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), to use new technologies to improve the health conditions of every family in the Americas. 

During the Quebec City Summit in 2001, the leaders of the hemisphere committed at the highest levels to combat communicable diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS, recognizing that this disease and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) constitute the greatest health risk to the hemisphere. In that regard, governments committed to increasing resources for prevention, education and access to care and treatment as well as research. Governments also addressed the need to combat non-communicative diseases stemming from the consumption of tobacco, alcohol and drugs, as well as mental illness, cancer and diabetes, among others. Finally, leaders committed to promoting health sector reform to provide greater quality, efficiency and access to healthcare in the hemisphere while harnessing the power of telecommunications technology to reach remote populations and facilitate exchange of information.

At the Special Summit of the Americas held in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, Heads of State and Government made a commitment to have at least 600,000 people undergoing antiretroviral treatment by 2005. The goal is to provide universal access to this treatment as soon as possible to accomplish the World Health Organization’s “3 by 5 Initiative” (3 millions by 2005) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). The Heads of State and Government also recognized that their political leadership was essential to confronting the stigma, discrimination, and fear which have deterred people in the past from being tested and accessing treatment.

The Declaration of Nuevo Leon states that governments will continue to broaden prevention, care, and promotion strategies as well as investment in health in an effort to provide quality health care for all and to improve social protection for all people, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable segments of society. The leaders of the hemisphere also addressed “health problems associated with the unplanned growth of densely populated areas”, the need for access to resources and the problem of emerging and reemerging diseases. To combat these diseases, they expressed their commitment to reinforcing promotion, prevention, control and treatment programs as well as deepening technical cooperation with key agencies such as PAHO with a view to implementing integral public health activities for the control and eradication of these diseases.

Please click here to see resolutions approved in the area of Health at the OAS General Assemblies

Key documents in the area of Health:

• New: Health : Summit Report 2001-2003 "Advancing in The Americas, Progress and Challenges"

Upcoming Events in the area of Health can be found in the calendar of events.

Please click here to see the archive of meetings that have taken place 
in the area of Health.