PAHO brings together health ministers of the Americas at its 30th Pan American Health Conference – PAHO/WHO

Delegates will seek agreements to improve mental health, strengthen genetic monitoring, and restore progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, among other topics. In addition, they will elect the next director of the organization

WASHINGTON, DC, September 23, 2022 (PAHO/WHO) – Health ministers and other higher authorities of countries and territories of the Americas will gather from September 26-30 at the 30th OAS Health Conference. Health (PAHO), in Washington, DC, United States.

The Pan American Conference on Health is the organization’s highest decision-making body and meets every five years to determine its public policies.

The conference will open on Monday, September 26, at 9:00, with the participation of the Director of the Pan American Health Organization, Carissa F. Etienne; WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; the presidents of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez and Dominica Charles Savarin; United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra; and the Minister of Public Health and Social Welfare of Paraguay and the outgoing President of the Pan-American Health Conference, Julio Borba.

On Wednesday, September 28, PAHO members and participating countries will elect the next director of the organization through a secret ballot. The person with the most votes will be appointed to lead the PAHO for the next five years, taking office on February 1, 2023.

Sessions, parallel events and elections can be followed virtually at this link.

Check here the initial program of the meetings.

press adoption

The conference will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, located at 2500 Calvert, in the US capital. Members of the press are welcome to attend in person, but due to COVID-19 mitigation protocols, space in the main conference room is limited. Journalists can also follow virtually every session, election, and side event.

Members of the press who wish to attend in person must register in advance by sending an email to [email protected] with first and last name, document/passport number, telephone and means of contact until Friday 23 September.

Credentials will be available at the hotel from 8:00 on Monday 26 September. Please bring a photo ID. Those who are not previously accredited will not be able to enter the conference.

To ensure health and safety, all participants, including journalists, must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, perform an antigen self-test daily prior to attending the conference, under the honor system, and wear a mask at the conference venue.

The pre-conference program includes (all times EST):

Monday 26 September

09:00 – 11:00 – Opening

13:00 – 14:00 – Side Event: Joint Action to Strengthen Human Resources for Health in the Americas: The Health Power of the Americas

14:30 – 18:00 – the policy of restoring progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals with equity

Tuesday 27 September

8:00 – 8:45 – Monkeypox status update in the Americas

12:30 – 2:00 – Side event: Leveraging lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to address future mental health challenges in the region

Wednesday 28th September

9:00 – 12:30 – Election of the next director of the Pan American Health Office, the executive body of the Pan American Health Organization

14:30 – 17:30 – Update on the COVID-19 pandemic in the Americas

Thursday, September 29

9:00 – 18:00 – Presentation of final reports of strategies and action plans on the use of psychotropic substances, epilepsy, urban health, disaster risk reduction and harmful use of alcohol

Friday 30 September

14:30 – 18:00 – 171st Session of the Executive Committee of the Pan American Health Organization