Washington, D.C., 2 September 2025 — Representatives from Bolivia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay formally established the Network for Essential Public Health Functions (RedFESP by its acronym in Spanish) a regional initiative created to strengthen stewardship and governance in public health in the Americas, with the technical support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
The meeting was opened by James Fitzgerald, Director of the Department of Health Systems and Services at PAHO, and by José Moya, PAHO/WHO Representative in Mexico, under the moderation of Ernesto Báscolo, Unit Chief of the Primary Health Care and Integrated Service Delivery Unit at PAHO.
In this first session, the countries adopted the statute that regulates the functioning of the Network and defined six strategic areas of work: the effective implementation of the Essential Public Health Functions (EPHFs); the training and development of core competencies; the institutionalization of processes for evaluation and continuous improvement; regional cooperation and access to public goods; the generation of knowledge and research; and the exchange of experiences and practices.
During the meeting, the first Steering Committee was elected, composed of Andrés Castañeda Prado, Coordinator of the National Public Health Service of Mexico, as President; Iritzel Santamaría, National Deputy Director of Health Planning of Panama, as Vice President; and Ricardo Peña Sánchez, Vice Minister of Public Health of Peru, as Vocal Member.
With this election, RedFESP advances in its establishment as a key platform for regional cooperation and for strengthening national capacities in the implementation of the EPHFs. The Steering Committee will be responsible for guiding the initial actions and coordinating technical working groups on governance, evaluation, and capacity development.
PAHO, in its role as technical secretariat, will support countries in this process through sustained technical cooperation, promoting regional coordination and assisting in the implementation of agreed work plans. In doing so, RedFESP is reinforced as a mechanism for cooperation and collective learning, open to institutions and stakeholders interested in strengthening public health in the Americas.
