Washington, D.C., 28 September 2016 (PAHO/WHO) - A new "sustainable health agenda of the Americas," aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and incorporating lessons learned from the earlier Health Agenda of the Americas 2008-2017, will be developed by a working group of ministers of health from Member States of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). The new working group was announced at a side event organized by Panama's Ministry of Health during the 55th PAHO Directing Council.

Minister of Health Miguel Antonio Mayo of Panama said the Health Agenda of the Americas 2008-2017 had provided guidance and inspiration for health progress in countries throughout the region, but that significant challenges remain a decade after its adoption. He urged the ministers' working group to develop a new regional health agenda that is closely linked with the SDGs.

healthd agenda 2030 discussions

PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne said the new health agenda will provide political and strategic guidance for countries' efforts to improve health with PAHO/WHO support. Aligning the new agenda with the SDGs will ensure that it addresses the social determinants of health. Etienne emphasized that the new health agenda will reflect countries' collective health priorities and will present strategies for addressing them through 2030.

Reina Roa, director of planning for Panama's Ministry of Health, presented a roadmap and timeline for developing the new regional health agenda by September 2017.

Delegates from Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Uruguay and the United States expressed their support for the creation of a working group and for linking the agenda's development with national processes related to the SDGs, in alignment with national health plans.

The Health Agenda of the Americas 2008-2017 was developed by a working group of eight countries led by the Ministry of Health of Panama and with PAHO/WHO technical support. It was approved in 2007 by PAHO/WHO Member States and has guided public health policies and interventions over the past decade. The new health agenda will propose policies and strategies to improve public health in 2018 to 2030.

Links

pdf PROPOSAL: Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas (SHAA) 2018-2030  (in .pdf)
- You can view a recodring of the meeting on PAHO-TV
- Download the Health Agenda of the Americas 2008-2017 (in .pdf)