WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) — The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says health authorities of the Americas, including the Caribbean, will consider strategies and action plans during the Pan American Sanitary Conference this month that will guide PAHO’s technical cooperation programs on a range of topics.

PAHO’s director, Dr Carissa Etienne, on Friday, briefed Caribbean ambassadors and representatives of the Organization of American States (OAS) on issues to be addressed at the 29th Pan American Sanitary Conference, from September 25 to 29, at the organization’s headquarters here.

The Brazilian ambassador and president of the OAS Permanent Council, José Luiz Machado Costa, presided over the meeting.

During the conference, regional health authorities will also elect the next director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau, the PAHO Secretariat, who begins a five-year term on February 1, 2018.

Dominica has nominated Etienne, who has held that position since 2013. She is the only candidate nominated and, under the regulations, can serve for another five years.

At the start of the meeting, PAHO said its staff and the ambassadors observed a minute of silence for the victims of the hurricanes that hit the Caribbean and the United States, and of the earthquake that struck Mexico.

The ambassadors received a report on PAHO’s response to these disasters, as well as the immediate needs of the islands affected by Hurricane Irma.

Etienne thanked the countries for their collaboration in the response, noting that solidarity and “a sense of Pan-Americanism marks the spirit of PAHO and the region.”

On the Pan American Sanitary Conference, Etienne said plans and strategies that countries will discuss include a policy on ethnicity and health, and an action plan to sustain the elimination of measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome.

“We have been the first region in the world to achieve this, but the challenge now is to maintain those achievements in an increasingly interconnected world,” she said.

The country delegations will also address a plan of action to strengthen the collection of vital statistics, a strategy for strengthening the role of human resources in health in achieving universal access to health, and a plan of action to strengthen tobacco control in the Americas, PAHO said.

Etienne emphasized that the flagship publication of PAHO, a report on Health in the Americas, will be presented, summarizing the main advances and challenges to health in the region in the last five years.

The Director of PAHO reported that the Sustainable Health Agenda of the Americas, which was developed by the countries themselves, will also be presented and will serve as a framework for regional work aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Etienne said that a Quinquennial Report, highlighting the main achievements and events that occurred in this five-year period, will be presented to the Ministers of Health.

The ambassador of Brazil and President of the OAS Permanent Council, José Luiz Machado E. Costa, stressed the importance of reaching agreements on the proposed topics. The ambassadors also highlighted the leadership of Dr Etienne as director of PAHO in these years and thanked her for the report.

During the conference, PAHO said countries will address other administrative and financial points, such as the organization’s budget, as well as receive progress reports in the region on various health issues.

The Pan American Sanitary Conference is the supreme authority of PAHO and meets every five years to determine its policies and priorities. It also acts as a forum for the exchange of information and ideas on disease prevention; the preservation, promotion and recovery of physical and mental health; and health promotion.

PAHO said it is the specialized agency of the inter-American system, of which the OAS is also a member, along with the Inter-American Development Bank and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).