Washington, D.C., December 3, 2025 – Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, more than 300 participants from across the Americas, including representatives from ministries of health, technical secretariats, organizations of persons with disabilities, and civil society, joined PAHO for the virtual event “Presentation of the Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities: Guide for Action.”
The session introduced the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Action Guide, providing an overview of the Guide’s methodology, structure, and implementation steps. The Guide for Action provides actionable recommendations for health sector decision-makers derived from WHO guidance and country experiences, including measures for evidence-based data collection, workforce evaluation, access to health services, and public health programming that “leaves no one behind”.
The Action Guide has already been implemented in some countries in other WHO Regions, and PAHO developed this resource in Spanish to make the guide available to the Latin American Region.
More than 85 million people in the Americas experience significant disabilities. While persons with disabilities have the same inherent, universal, and inalienable right to the highest attainable standard of health, recognized in international human rights treaties and protected by national legal frameworks, they continue to face health inequalities.
These health inequities stem from avoidable and unjust conditions, including structural factors such as stigma and discrimination; social determinants like poverty and limited access to education; higher exposure to risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy diets; and attitudinal, institutional, and physical barriers within health systems.
Although many countries in the Americas have made significant progress, the Guide for Action on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities offers ministries of health a step-by-step process to embed disability inclusion across health system functions. It provides practical guidance for translating the recommendations of the World Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities into concrete national measures—supporting countries in advancing accessible, inclusive, and equitable health services for all.
