Washington, D.C., August 12, 2024 (PAHO) - In commemoration of International Youth Day 2024, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) held a webinar under the theme of this year's global campaign "From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development," which brought together technical experts on adolescent digital health, external experts on digital solutions for health and young people.
The webinar "Leveraging the transformative power of digital technology towards achievement of the SDG 3 targets for and with young people in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)” explored and analyzed how PAHO and the youth in LAC can employ digital technologies and trends to successfully navigate technological transitions in health and healthcare and innovate in communities and networks to help accelerate the achievement of SDG3 targets.
“We understand the vital role digital technology plays in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, digital transformation is not only reshaping our societies but also revolutionizing healthcare,” said James Fitzgerald, Director of Health Systems and Services at PAHO. “In this regard, PAHO is dedicated to ensuring young people are central to these transitions; by listening to and collaborating with our youth, we can build more resilient and responsive health systems for young people as well as others," he added.
PAHO specialists and young representatives of the Youth for Health Group (PYHG) emphasized the need to achieve universal access to health systems in the region through a renewed and more transparent vision based on a digitally interconnected society, and how young people can support the digital transformation in health in their panel discussions.
Digital solutions to improve the health of young people were also presented. PYGH representatives reiterated the need to involve youth in collaborative initiatives that allow them to participate in the design, planning and monitoring of digital and technological solutions related to the health sector, considering national and local needs, as well as demographic, socioeconomic and cultural differences between countries in the region.
Rehman Hassan, PYGH Representative, urged young people to leave no one behind, and stated in his closing remarks, “Each of us plays a role in this fight for equitable technology design, development, and deployment, especially us young people who are leading the charge to develop, implement, and use these technologies for good.”
