Geneva, 23 May 2016 (PAHO/WHO) - The Director of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, met today with the delegations of the countries of the Americas, focusing on issues of key interest for the Region to be addressed in the plenary session of the 69th World Health Assembly this week.
Ministers of health and authorities of the countries of the Region met with the PAHO/WHO delegation, headed by Etienne, to review and share information on the main topics for plenary discussion. The Director made an appeal for active discussion during the Assembly.
Within this context, Dr. Etienne emphasized that the reform of WHO's emergency response is a subject of particular interest for the Region. For 40 years, she noted, the countries of the Americas have had an emergency response system in place that has been aligned with the Region's needs, transforming as a result of lessons learned.
She also highlighted the debate on the International Health Regulations and the proposal for external evaluations of how countries are implementing the Regulations, a process in which WHO's role has yet to be established.
The Director also requested special attention to the subjects of WHO reform and of the Organization's relationship with non-State actors, given that the countries of the Americas have been actively involved in the preparation of these issues.
Other working topics for the week, such as the debate on maternal and child nutrition as it relates to the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, are of particular interest to the Americas, the Director noted.
Also on the agenda is a document on the world drug problem. The Region was particularly active on this issue during the UN General Assembly and PAHO has been asked to address it with a public health approach, noted Dr. Etienne.
Other key resolutions for the Region are those related to the life course and healthy aging (in view of the demographic profile of the Americas), as well as antimicrobial resistance and a document on promoting the migrant health—another subject of special interest to the Americas. Dr. Etienne also noted the Region's particular interest in the document on human resources for health, since "without health workers there is no universal health coverage," and this affects many of the countries of the Region. Health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was also highlighted by the PAHO Director as a subject of great interest for the Americas.
At the end of the meeting, the Minister of Health of Ecuador, Margarita Guevara, thanked the countries of the Region for their solidarity in response to the earthquake that ravaged her country in April.