Dr. Gutierrez, Area Manager of Planning, Budget and Resource Coordination at PAHO, presented to the 50th Directing Council the guiding principles and the different options for upgrading the management information system of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau (PMIS). He reported on the recent meetings held with the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations High Commissioner for the Refugees, as well as with the companies Oracle and SAP, two major suppliers of integrated management information systems, to collect the necessary information so that the Directing Council makes the most advisable decision for the Organization.

He mentioned that the PASB recommended option 3, which consist of adopting an integrated computer-based system (known as Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP). After comments from Cuba, Barbados, United States, Mexico and Canada, who expressed their approval of the submitted proposal, the entire Directing Council accepted the recommendation.

Subsequently, the Directing Council issued a resolution approving the modernization of the management information system of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau, its guiding principles, option 3 (to use an ERP system), and a project for its implementation including the necessary budget, which will begin in July 2012 and end in June 2014.