PAHO and German Development Agency GIZ sign agreement to advance regional health priorities, with special focus on digital transformation – PAHO/WHO

Geneva, Switzerland, May 28, 2024 (PAHO) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the German Development Agency GIZ signed an agreement this week to drive the digital transformation of the health sector and improve health outcomes for millions of people in the Region of the Americas.

The agreement was signed during the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, and provides for activities to strengthen countries’ capacities by integrating digital health into national e-governance systems, improving connectivity and using of digital approaches for more equitable access. Activities will focus on actions that promote global technical standards for digital health, quality assurance of related software and its adaptation and localization at the regional and national level.

It also plans to work to support One Health approaches to pandemic prevention and control, among others, and to address cross-sectoral issues affecting health, such as climate change, poverty, migration, public infrastructure, good governance , gender, social equity and research and generation of evidence.

«We welcome this partnership with GIZ to accelerate the transformation of health systems in our region,» said PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa. «This collaboration marks an important step forward in the advancement of digital health and innovation in the Americas.»

PAHO and the Government of Germany have cooperated in several areas in the past, including supporting strategies to improve vaccination records and disease surveillance in vulnerable and indigenous populations in countries in the region.

“The agreement underscores our joint commitment to leveraging digital technologies to improve the accessibility, efficiency and equity of healthcare,” said Tessa Lenneman, GIZ project leader on Digital Innovation in Pandemic Control (DIPC). «By combining PAHO’s extensive regional expertise with GIZ’s strategic implementation capabilities, we aim to transform health systems and improve health outcomes for millions of people.»

PAHO is the specialized international health organization of the inter-American system and acts as the Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Americas. The organization works with countries throughout the region to improve and protect people’s health.

GIZ is a company owned by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany that provides services in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. GIZ has more than 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment, energy and environment, and peace and security.