{"id":190314,"date":"2025-09-29T17:01:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T17:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/190314\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T17:01:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T17:01:09","slug":"at-62nd-directing-council-paho-director-calls-for-swift-action-to-strengthen-health-security-in-the-americas-paho-who","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/190314\/","title":{"rendered":"At 62nd Directing Council, PAHO Director calls for swift action to strengthen health security in the Americas – PAHO\/WHO"},"content":{"rendered":"

Washington, D.C., 29 September 2025 (PAHO) \u2014 Health security is a cornerstone of national stability and economic resilience, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa told delegates today at the opening of the Organization\u2019s 62nd Directing Council<\/a>, urging governments to turn political commitments into concrete public health policies to protect the people and economies of the Americas.<\/p>\n

\u201cCountries in the Americas have long worked together to address regional health security,\u201d he said. \u201cSuch collaboration is essential for disease prevention, public health resilience, economic stability, and a viable workforce. A unified approach will enhance regional preparedness for current and future health crises, while contributing to broader goals like socio-economic development and sustainable prosperity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHistory has shown that proactive preparation for health crises \u2014 including building resilient health systems and capacities for prevention, early detection, and rapid response \u2014 can save countless lives and reduce the socio-economic impacts of epidemics,\u201d Dr. Barbosa said.<\/p>\n

In a direct appeal to health ministers and officials from across the Region, Dr. Barbosa highlighted that more than 2.4 million public health signals are analyzed each year in the Americas, with nearly half of the 160 detected events categorized as acute public health threats. \u201cDetecting and containing biothreats at their source, and improving emergency response, constitute our first line of defense,\u201d he said. \u201cIt requires a whole-of-government approach.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year’s Directing Council\u2014attended by health authorities from the 35 PAHO Member States, three participating states, and four associated states\u2014comes at a time of continued pressure on health systems and growing threats from both infectious and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). The meeting is expected to approve PAHO\u2019s new Strategic Plan 2026\u20132031 and a regional Action Plan on NCDs for 2025\u20132030.<\/p>\n

Dr. Barbosa warned that epidemics and pandemics not only endanger lives but can \u201cdisrupt trade, travel, tourism, and food supply networks,\u201d noting that global GDP shrank by 3.5% in 2020 due to COVID-19. He stressed that health security is not just about protecting health systems \u2014 \u201cit plays in national stability, economic resilience, and the protection of populations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The PAHO Director reaffirmed the Organization\u2019s role as a trusted technical partner, emphasizing the value of shared regional tools such as the real-time surveillance system and PAHO\u2019s Revolving Funds for access to vaccines, medicines, and technologies.<\/p>\n

He also highlighted the joint efforts that have positioned the Region as a global leader in communicable disease elimination, noncommunicable disease reduction, primary health care strengthening, and digital transformation. \u201cOur achievements inspire other regions of the world in the pursuit of universal health,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

Dr. Barbosa called on countries to lead the way in the elimination of preventable diseases, including malaria and cervical cancer, calling them \u201ctime-limited investments, not an eternal expense.\u201d He urged countries to sustain the region\u2019s legacy in disease elimination as \u201cone of the smartest ways to invest limited resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the rising burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), the leading cause of death in the Americas, Dr. Barbosa was unequivocal: \u201cThey must be among the top priorities for our Region,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are well-established ways to address this crisis\u2014from reducing risk factors like tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed foods to promoting physical activity and healthy diets.\u201d<\/p>\n

He called for adaptation to this reality by investments in primary health care and innovation, stating that closing the gap in NCD prevention and care is \u201cfundamental to PAHO\u2019s mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

Highlighting PAHO\u2019s founding mandate from 1902 to protect the health of the Americas through regional cooperation, Dr. Barbosa said that mission remains unchanged\u2014but more urgent than ever. \u201cThe future health and security of our Region will not be determined by what we say this week,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will be determined by how quickly our words become policies that countries can act on to protect their people.\u201d<\/p>\n

In closing, he reaffirmed PAHO’s commitment as a trusted ally. “As Director of PAHO, I want to affirm unequivocally that this Organization is at your service, as a reliable partner committed to building a better future,” he said.<\/p>\n

Quotes from other opening speakers<\/p>\n

Jim O\u2019Neill, Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (HSS) of the United States:\u00a0\u201cUnlike chronic diseases, infectious diseases notoriously cross borders. We are committed to protecting against communicable diseases, and international cooperation is essential to our success \u2014 and in this Western Hemisphere, that should largely be PAHO. PAHO has a unique role in helping Member States strengthen preparedness for future health threats while respecting the sovereignty of each Member State. Artificial intelligence is improving science, health care, business, and government. The United States is committed to supporting this transformation, and it will enhance PAHO\u2019s work to harness secure, interoperable digital technologies to expand access to primary health care and sharpen pandemic surveillance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Albert Ramdin, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS):\u00a0\u201cHealth underpins every dimension of our society: without it, democracy weakens, economies slow, and social cohesion breaks down. The cross-cutting nature of this agenda was made clear during the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. The speed at which it disrupted education, employment, governance, and social cohesion showed us why well-being must remain at the center of our policy thinking. Maintaining that centrality, however, requires political will\u2026 PAHO brings unmatched technical expertise, while the OAS, as the political forum of the Hemisphere, can provide the intergovernmental coordination needed to embed health in the broader agenda of regional development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amanda Glassman, Executive Advisor to the President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB):\u00a0\u201cAt the IDB, we believe that health is essential for development and resilience. The challenges we face today \u2014 from aging populations and rising NCDs, to the pressures of technological innovation and the sustainability of our health systems \u2014 are shared across borders. Our solutions, therefore, must also be shared and regional… PAHO and the IDB work together, and with our member countries, on strengthening primary health care, expanding digital health, and improving preparedness to prevent and respond to infectious disease threats. This Council is a pivotal moment, as we begin discussions for PAHO\u2019s Strategic Plan 2026\u20132031. It is more than a planning exercise \u2014 it is the chance to shape a shared vision for health in our region.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO):\u00a0\u201cYou have documented progress on key PAHO initiatives on disease elimination, noncommunicable diseases, primary health care, maternal mortality, and digital health\u2026 Your agenda this week reflects your shared commitment to promoting, providing and protecting the health of the region\u2019s people.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cAs we navigate these extremely difficult times, it is important also to remember that in this crisis lies an opportunity \u2013 an opportunity to shake off the yoke of aid dependency, and embrace a new era of sovereignty, self-reliance, and solidarity.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Washington, D.C., 29 September 2025 (PAHO) \u2014 Health security is a cornerstone of national stability and economic resilience,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":190315,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[97,252,253],"class_list":["post-190314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-care","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190314\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}