EXTERNAL RELATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS
A Shared Agenda for Health in the Americas was signed by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank on 22 June 2000. The implementation of this Shared Agenda is overseen by an inter-agency Coordination Group composed of one representative from each of the three institutions who meet on a monthly basis. Four leadership areas were identified in which the three institutions agreed to collaborate. These areas include national health accounts, pharmaceuticals, disease surveillance, and environmental health. Each of the three institutions identified focal points in the four leadership areas who agreed to form working groups that would elaborate a work plan for collaborative efforts in each designated area.
The National Health Accounts (NHA) area, tracks spending on health services by individuals, governments and others, and promotes the use of this tool for informed debates on health policy. In the area of pharmaceuticals, work focuses on improving the regulatory framework for pharmaceuticals, promoting the knowledge by consumers and retailers of the use of pharmaceuticals, and facilitating the access by the poor to good quality essential drugs. In the area of public health and disease surveillance, the three institutions collaborate to strengthen regional surveillance of communicable diseases, assist in developing capacity to monitor chronic diseases, and help to develop goal setting for health outcomes.
The Shared Agenda initiative has been well received in the international community. International partners are particularly interested in the reflection of this initiative at country level where they see an important role for IDB, PAHO, and the World Bank in bringing the international community together in a coordinated way to support the health sector development of a specific country. UN sister agencies have explicitly expressed interest in joining the Initiative.
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Statement of the Shared Agenda (PDF 116KB) |
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One Year Progress Report |
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Overview on the Work Groups |
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