PAHO Director signs the 2025-2031 Subregional Cooperation Strategy for Central America, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico – PAHO/WHO
Washington DC, May 8, 2025 (PAHO) -The Director of the Pan American Health Organization, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, met today with the Executive Secretary of the Council of Ministers of Central America and the Dominican Republic (SE-COMISCA), Dr. Alejandra Acuña and the Executive Director of the Mesoamamics Integration and Development Project and the Development Project, Roberoso Salazar Salazar Salazar. Robero, Fig Figeroa, 202525525525 years, the Information Project and the Roberoso Development Project, at 202525. Subregional Cooperation Strategy with the Subregion of the Central American Republic, Dominican and Mexico (the subregion of the PAHO known as CAM).
The Subregion of CAM, which consists of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic, covers a population of more than 183.4 million people, 26% live in remote and rural areas.
This meeting marks «the culmination of a process of dialogue, agreement and participatory construction that reflects the commitment of our institutions with the health and well -being of the peoples of Central America, Mexico and the Dominican Republic,» said Dr. Barbosa during the signature ceremony.
«In a context marked by emerging threats for health, migratory flows, food insecurity and the effects of climate change, subregional cooperation acquires even greater relevance,» he added.
The cooperation strategy describes four priority areas for the technical cooperation of the organization in the subregion:
- Strengthen leadership and health governance to guide resistant, equitable and sustainable health systems, promote evidence -based approaches, intersectoral collaboration and harmonize the provision of services to guarantee access, coverage and health quality.
This includes the development and training for human resources in health, the implementation of an integrated system of monitoring and evaluation of essential public health functions and support of digital transformation and interoperability of digital tools within and between health systems.
- Strengthen the implementation of subregional actions for the prevention, control and elimination of diseases and their risk factors through an approach that promotes interculturality, equity and inclusion of vulnerable populations.
This area will include initiatives to strengthen health systems, improve epidemiological surveillance and guarantee the effective integration of noncommunicable diseases (NCD), including chronic renal failure in primary health care services.
- Consolidate a coordinated subregional approach, based on intergovernmental cooperation and intersectoral collaboration for the preparation and response to emergencies and disasters of health.
This will imply strengthening intersectoral cooperation and implementation mechanisms to allow subregion to respond better to emergencies, improving the laboratory capacity for epidemiological surveillance and the development of intergovernmental strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change within the medical care sector.
- Coordinate intergovernmental and intersectoral actions for equitable access to essential services for people in migration situations
This will include the development of subregional agreements to facilitate the expansion and access to essential health services for migrants, as well as the implementation of initiatives to train human resources in health in areas with high migratory flows.
Thanking the director of the PAHO, the technical experts and the countries, the Executive Secretary of the Council of Ministers of Central America and the Dominican Republic (SE-COMISCA), Dr. Alejandra Acuña, highlighted the importance of the strategy «as a regional public good and a pillar of sustainable development.
«This agreement will not only allow us to unite our respective capacities and resources, but also the political will of the subregion,» he said.
«This strategy aligns the Global Subregional Health Priorities of Reg Regional,» added the executive director of the Mesoamerica Integration and Development Project, Roberto Carlos Salazar Figueroa. «We renew our commitment to continue working in a coordinated way to close the gaps, promote health equity, fight disease and promote a decent life for all our communities.»
The Paho Subregional Cooperation Strategy for Central America, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, is the framework that guides the technical cooperation of the organization in this subregion. It is aligned with the main mandates of the Member States of the PAHO, as well as with the mandates of the countries that make up the political integration systems and mechanisms of the countries in this subregion.
«The signing of the subregional strategy is not just a symbolic act; it is a renewed commitment to work together for the health and well -being of more than 183 million people in our subregion,» concluded the director of Paho.
«Let’s continue working with determination, with vision and hope. Because health is a fundamental human right and an cornerstone for sustainable development.»
