Integration of Background Documents for the Strategy and Plan of Action on Urban Health in the Americas

Among the recommendations that emerged was for PAHO to develop for the very first time a pioneering Regional Urban Health Strategy and Plan of Action for the countries of the Americas. As a result, a document was discussed with Member States and presented to the Pan American Sanitary Bureau’s Directing Council in September 2011. This booklet also contains the Urban Health Strategy, Plan of Action and resolution as approved by the Ministers of Health of the Americas. This ten-year Plan has baseline indicators that need to be collected over the course of the following year, along with recommendations for action to be taken by countries of the Americas and by PAHO.

We expect that this booklet will be a useful tool for you to mobilize all sectors of government, NGOs and civil society, as well as the private sector on national, regional and municipal levels so that many of the anticipated issues related to urbanization and health can be avoided or ameliorated. It is imperative that action be taken now to prevent or reverse the negative impacts of urbanization on health and to capitalize upon the potential stewardship role of the health sector to make this happen. The future is in your hands. Let’s make it a healthy one.