Set health priorities at the 61st PAHO Directing Council
WASHINGTON, USA (PAHO) – High-level health authorities of the Americas will meet from September 30 to October 4 in Washington, DC, to participate in the 61st Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). During the sessions of this governing body, strategies, plans, and policies will be discussed and analyzed, and priorities for technical cooperation and collaboration will be set for the coming years.
The opening ceremony will take place on Monday, September 30, at 9:00 a.m. (Washington, DC time). The event will be attended by Fernando Boyd Galindo, minister of health of Panama and outgoing president of the directing council; Loyce Pace, assistant secretary for global affairs at the United States department of health and human services; and Jarbas Barbosa, director of PAHO.
The secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro; the chief of the social protection and health division at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Pablo Ibarrarán; and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), will participate, with doctor Adhanom Ghebreyesus joining via video message.
After the ceremony, Dr Barbosa will present his annual report as Director of the regional health organization.
Main debates and expected decisions
During the week, delegates will decide key strategies and policies. The topics to be addressed include strengthening tobacco control in the region, promoting epidemic intelligence to improve early warning of health emergencies, accelerating the transformation of health systems, and strengthening the health sector’s capacity to address threats posed by climate change to health.
Other priority topics will include sepsis, health information systems, long-term care, as well as surgical, intensive care, and emergency care. A roadmap will also be presented for the development of the PAHO Strategic Plan 2026-2031, which will be approved in 2025. This plan will establish the strategic direction of the Organization, along with the collective priorities and results to be achieved during that period.
Delegates will receive final reports on topics such as the 2018-2023 entomology and vector control action plan, the 2018-2023 action plan for the sustainability of measles, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome elimination, and access to and rational use of strategic and high-cost medicines and other health technologies. Progress reports will also be presented on disparities in access to and use of health services by LGBT+ people, and the digital transformation of the health sector, among others.
Events, awards, and special meetings
The 61st Directing Council will begin with the 20th “Walk for Health”. This activity will take place on September 29 at 9:00 a.m., with a 3.62-kilometer (2.25-mile) walk through the Foggy Bottom neighbourhood and Washington D.C. to promote physical and mental health.
Special events include briefing sessions on the PAHO Elimination Initiative, which will be held on Monday, September 30 from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m., and on the pandemic agreement from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. On Tuesday, October 1, issues related to telemedicine will be discussed from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m., and the contributions of the Americas region to a sustainable WHO will be celebrated from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. The session on Wednesday, October 2, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m., will focus on the elimination of cervical cancer.
The PAHO Award for Management and Leadership in Health Services 2024 will be presented on the afternoon of Tuesday, October 1. The 61st Directing Council is scheduled to close on the morning of Friday, October 4.
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