Health Ministers of the Americas will address the COVID-19 pandemic and other health priorities at the PAHO-PAHO/WHO Steering Board

Health ministers of the Americas will address the COVID-19 pandemic and other health priorities at the PAHO Steering Board

The meeting will take place approximately from 20 to 24 September. The presidents of Chile and Costa Rica and the region’s top health authorities will speak on Monday at the opening of the meeting, which can be watched live.

WASHINGTON, DC, September 17, 2021 (PAHO/WHO) – In order to discuss and analyze the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the major health challenges facing the Americas in this context, Ministers of Health and other senior officials from countries and territories of the region will participate in the period from September 20-24, at the 59th Steering Board of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which will be held for almost the second year in a row.

At the opening ceremony of the Board of Directors, on Monday, September 20, at 9:30 a.m. (Washington time), the Presidents of Chile, Sebastian Pinera, and Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, as well as the General Manager will participate. . From the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and Director of the Pan American Health Organization, Carissa F. Etienne.

As OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro said. The President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Mauricio Clavier Caroni, the United States Secretary of Health and Social Services, Xavier Becerra, and the Minister of Health and Social Protection of Colombia and the outgoing Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Pan American Health Organization, Fernando Ruiz Gómez.

All sessions can be followed live on the PAHO website, through its channel Youtube or your account Twitter.

On Monday, the director of the Pan American Health Organization will present the annual report of her administration from July 2020 to July 2021, which focuses on the collaboration the organization has provided to help countries respond to the pandemic, while preserving and enhancing their health achievements. Meanwhile, an update on the COVID-19 situation in the region will be provided on Wednesday afternoon.

Discussions will also focus on various decisions, policies and roadmaps aimed at increasing the production capacity of essential medicines and health technologies in the region, revitalizing immunization as a public good, digitizing the health sector, creating resilient health systems and post-pandemic recovery. , among other things.

There will be a series of parallel activities for the Board of Directors during the week. On Tuesday, from 1 to 2 p.m. (Washington, DC time), there will be an event on technology transfer to produce mRNA vaccines, where the Pan American Health Organization will announce the recipients and selected regional projects to develop these vaccines, as well as the consortium. From countries and manufacturers that will work on this technology.

On Wednesday, also from 1 to 2 p.m. (Washington, DC time), another side event will bring together the Director of the Pan American Health Organization and the Director of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Alicia Barcena, to discuss a comprehensive discussion in response to the protracted crisis that Unleashed by the pandemic and the relationship between health and the economy.

The Pan American Health Organization Award for Management and Leadership in Health Services 2021 will also be presented during the week.

The Steering Council is one of the governing bodies of the Pan American Health Organization that brings together the highest health authorities in the Americas to discuss and analyze policies, and prioritize technical cooperation and cooperation between countries.