The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) in partnership with the Organization of American States (OAS), the CDC, UNICEF and the governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republican are hosting the launch of the new Regional Coalition on Water and Sanitation for the Elimination of Cholera in the Island of Hispaniola.
Media Advisory
WHAT: The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) in partnership with the Organization of American States (OAS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF (Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean), and the governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republican are hosting the launch of the new Regional Coalition on Water and Sanitation for the Elimination of Cholera in the Island of Hispaniola.
WHEN: Friday, June 29, 2012, 12:30 — 2:30 p.m.
WHERE: Guerrero Room, OAS Headquarters, 200 17th Street, N.W., second floor, Washington, DC (17th and Constitution Ave.)
WHO:
- José Miguel Insulza, Secretary General, OAS
- Ambassador, Albert R. Ramdim, Assistant Secretary General, OAS
- Chair of the Friends of Haiti
- Honorable Florence Duperval Guillaume, Minister of Health of Haiti
- Jon Andrus, Deputy Director, PAHO/WHO
- Kevin De Cock, Director, Center for Global Health, CDC
- Enrique Paz, Regional Adviser in Health, Latin America and the Caribbean, UNICEF, Panama (written statement)
Also: discussion and commentary from new partners and observers, followed by questions and answers.
CONTEXT: On January 11 of this year, the presidents of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, together with representatives of PAHO/WHO, UNICEF, and the CDC, issued a call to action to eliminate cholera from both countries through new investments in water and sanitation infrastructure. The next step was the formation of the new Regional Coalition on Water and Sanitation for the Elimination of Cholera in the Island of Hispaniola, which was officially presented on June 4 during the 33rd Congress of the Inter-American Association of Environmental Health Engineers (AIDIS). The coalition will bring together the necessary technical expertise, raise new funds, and mobilize previously committed pledges.
NOTE: "Vernissage" PAHO photographic exhibition: "Water, Health and Hope in Hispaniola" (Galería de la Cultura Marcus Garvey Gallery), reception and informal discussions following the launch, first floor.
Links:
- International Partners Back Investment in Water and Sanitation to Eliminate Cholera from the Island of Hispaniola
- PAHO/Call to Action: A Cholera-Free Hispaniola
- PAHO/Haiti
- PAHO/Blog Haiti
Media Contacts:
Donna Eberwine-Villagran, Tel. +1 202 974 3122, Mobile +1 202 316 5469 or Sonia Mey-Schmidt, Tel. + 1 202 974 3036, Mobile +1 202 251 2646, Knowledge Management and Communications, PAHO/WHO.
