Fortaleza, 12 December, 2025 – The Ministry of Health of Brazil and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), the Instituto Todos pela Saúde (ITPS), and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) Ceará, implemented the 6th edition of the GOARN leadership program for health emergencies, from 8 to 12 December.
The initiative brought together 21 professionals from 10 health institutions across five countries in the Americas (Belize, Brazil, El Salvador, Ecuador and Paraguay), reinforcing GOARN’s role as a global operational network that deploys, connects, and sustains leadership and surge capacity for health emergency preparedness and response across regions. Participants discussed evidence and practices on effective leadership in emergencies and disasters. They also engaged in topics such as strengthening communication and trust building in intersectoral risk management.
“It is essential to ensure that responses to health emergencies consider the needs of all stakeholders in their development and implementation, always in benefit of the population and to ensure that no one is left behind,” said Alexander Rosewell, Coordinator of Health Emergencies, Evidence and Intelligence at the PAHO/WHO office in Brazil.
During the event, Edenilo Barreira, Director of the Department of Public Health Emergencies at Brazil’s Ministry of Health – which serves as a PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Training in Public Health Emergencies –, emphasized the program’s role in strengthening regional health security and expressed Brazil’s interest in expanding capacity building programs in this field.
About GOARN
GOARN was established in 2000 by WHO as a global technical network ready to address global health challenges as an international community. Today, the network brings together over 350 institutions across government agencies, national public health agencies, academic and technical institutions, NGOs, UN Agencies, Red Cross and other partners. For over 25 years, GOARN has played a pivotal role in strengthening collaboration across national, regional and global capacities for preparedness, readiness and response.
