WASHINGTON, USA, (PAHO) – The executive committee of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), one of the institution’s governing bodies, today began its 176th session in Washington, DC. The committee aims to discuss over a dozen priority topics to improve health in the Americas region.
Key agenda items include the Proposed Strategic Plan 2026-2031, the Proposed Program Budget 2026-2027, the Policy for expanding equitable access to high-cost and high-price health technologies, the Plan of Action on Noncommunicable Disease (NCDs) Prevention and Control 2025-2030, and the Strategy on Health and Migration 2026-2031.
PAHO director, Dr Jarbas Barbosa, opened the session by highlighting the importance of this forum as a crucial opportunity to strengthen regional cooperation. “This Executive Committee meeting provides a valuable platform to shape the Organization’s approach to addressing challenges and, ultimately, improving health outcomes across the region,” he stated.
During his address, Dr Barbosa underscored the current challenges facing the region. “PAHO has been working diligently to continue protecting the Americas region. There is an urgent need to increase immunization coverage due to the high risk of vaccine-preventable diseases,” he noted.
He also emphasized the importance of advancing control over outbreaks such as yellow fever, H5N1, measles, and dengue, and of improving maternal, neonatal, and child health indicators, as well as care for noncommunicable diseases, including mental health.
One of the central topics is the Proposed Strategic Plan 2026-2031, which proposes a more integrated, agile, and country-priority-focused approach. “I count on your continued leadership, expertise, and collaboration to finalize the Plan, and I reiterate the Secretariat’s commitment to continue facilitating your participation and dialogue, building together, implementing lessons learned, and innovations,” Dr Barbosa expressed.
Another highlight is the Policy for expanding equitable access to high-cost and high-priced health technologies, which seeks to address challenges related to the availability of treatments like insulins, cancer therapies, and medicines for rare diseases. “All countries, both developing and developed, face challenges related to the prices and availability of these technologies,” the PAHO director emphasized.
Additionally, the Committee will address the Action Plan on Noncommunicable Disease Prevention and Control 2025-2030, which aims to support countries in accelerating actions to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.4, seeking to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by one-third by 2030. The new Strategy on Health and Migration 2026-2031 will also be presented, oriented towards responding to health challenges arising from increasing migratory flows in the region.
In a regional and global call, Dr Barbosa urged the Americas to work together under the principle of Pan-Americanism. “The power of Pan-Americanism is just as potent today as it was more than a century ago, and I believe it is one of the keys to building a brighter, healthier future for our region,” he affirmed.
The PAHO director concluded his remarks by reaffirming PAHO’s commitment to health equity. “Above all, Pan-Americanism reflects our unbreakable commitment to health equity. We must therefore be relentless in our pursuit of universal health coverage, to guarantee every person, family, and community in the Americas has an equal chance to live a healthy life,” he concluded.
The executive committee comprises representatives from nine member states, serving staggered three-year terms. It currently includes Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Uruguay, and the United States. Its deliberations this week will form the basis for proposals to be considered by all member countries during the directing council in September.
The post PAHO executive committee kicks off 176th session, addressing key health issues in the Americas appeared first on Caribbean News Global.
