Panama, November 21, 2022. More than 30 mayors from 18 countries will meet on November 21-22 in Panama City for the V Meeting of Mayors for Healthy Municipalities, Cities and Communities in the Region of the Americas.
This meeting organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) seeks to strengthen partnerships between local governments, as well to discuss the implementation of the actions of the movement of Healthy Municipalities, Cities and Communities (HMCC) of the Americas, which fosters public policies to promote health and well-being in the territories. The meeting is also expected to discuss the role played by local governments in the vaccination against COVID-19, the lessons learned and opportunities.
"This event is part of the Strategy and Action Plan for Health Promotion in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Policy for the Recovery of the SDGs by addressing the Social Determinants of Health and intersectoral work, therefore highlighting the key role of local governments in promoting health, well-being and equity in populations," said Dr. Pilar Campos, PAHO Regional Advisor for Health Promotion. "We hope that this meeting will strengthen the Healthy Municipalities, Cities and Communities movement, generating exchange of experiences among mayors to face the challenges related to health.
For more than 30 years, PAHO has been promoting the movement of Municipalities, Cities and Healthy Communities and since 2016 PAHO and representatives of local governments of the Americas have been meeting annually to unify efforts to promote health, to reduce inequities at the local level, and address the social determinants of health using a collective and intersectoral approach.
This year, the Meeting is held in collaboration with the Mayor's Office of Panama City, the Pan American Health Organization and the Ministry of Health of Panama, as follow-up to the international agreements assumed in the Declaration of Santiago de Chile 2016, the Shanghai Consensus on Healthy Cities 2016, the Act of Valdivia 2017, the Declaration of Acapulco 2018, the Commitment of Santiago de Cuba 2018, the Declaration of Paipa 2019 and the agreements of the IV Virtual Meeting by HMCC.
