Washington, D.C., September 30, 2026 (PAHO) – Health authorities from the Americas approved a new regional strategy on health security to strengthen countries’ ability to prevent, prepare for, and respond to health emergencies, as disasters, outbreaks and other health threats become increasingly frequent and complex.
Approved during PAHO’s 63rd Directing Council, the Strategy for Strengthening Health Emergency and Risk Management for Health Security 2026–2031 seeks to support countries in building safer and more resilient health services and systems while enhancing cooperation among nations to address disasters, epidemics, and other threats that can affect lives, disrupt essential services and hinder social and economic development.
The new strategy promotes prevention, risk reduction, preparedness, operational readiness, and emergency response as part of an integrated approach to health security.
“The experiences of recent years have shown that emergencies are becoming more frequent, more complex and more interconnected,” said PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa. “This strategy reflects a shared commitment by countries of the Americas to invest in preparedness before crises occur, strengthen the resilience of health services and communities, and ensure that when emergencies strike, countries can respond more quickly, more effectively and with fewer lives lost.”
The Americas remain highly exposed to emergencies. Twenty-nine percent of all disasters recorded worldwide between 2021 and 2024 occurred in the Region. Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, extreme heat, wildfires, and other emergencies have repeatedly tested health systems and exposed gaps in preparedness and readiness, particularly in governance, coordination, supply chains, logistics, and the ability to rapidly mobilize resources and personnel.
The COVID-19 pandemic, major hurricanes in the Caribbean and other recent emergencies have underscored the importance of sustained investment in preparedness and stronger regional cooperation to address shared threats.
To address these challenges, the new strategy focuses on three areas:
- Reducing risks through stronger governance, risk assessment and multisectoral action;
- Strengthening preparedness and operational readiness at national and local levels, including surveillance, emergency plans, emergency operations centers, logistics systems and rapid response capacities; and
- Reinforcing regional and subregional mechanisms so countries can rapidly share information, mobilize necessary resources, and better support one another when emergencies overwhelm national capacities.
It also calls for stronger surveillance systems, laboratory networks, and emergency logistics capacities, as well as greater integration of mental health and psychosocial support into emergency preparedness and response efforts. The strategy promotes a multi-hazard approach that addresses a wide range of threats, from infectious disease outbreaks to natural and human-induced hazards.
Despite progress, financing preparedness remains limited and often unsustained, putting critical capacities at risk of deteriorating once an emergency has passed. The new strategy urges Member States to increase and sustain public investment in health emergency and risk management, including during periods between emergencies, to strengthen preparedness, readiness, and the resilience of health services and communities.
"Too often, investments increase during a crisis and decline once the immediate threat has passed," said Dr. Ciro Ugarte, Director of PAHO's Department of Health Emergencies. "Maintaining essential capacities between emergencies, including response teams, surveillance systems, emergency operations centers and logistics networks, is critical to ensuring countries can manage current risks while remaining ready to respond quickly when the next threat emerges."
The adoption of the strategy coincides with the 50th anniversary of PAHO’s health emergency program, established in 1976 following a request from Ministries of Health to strengthen countries’ capacity to respond to disasters. At the time, only a handful of the Region’s 35 PAHO Member States had dedicated personnel or emergency response plans.
Over the past five decades, emergencies ranging from hurricanes, earthquakes and floods to cholera, influenza, Zika, and COVID-19 have demonstrated the essential value of a more coordinated regional approach to health emergency and risk management. The new health security strategy builds on those experiences while responding to emerging risks and challenges facing the Americas today.
PAHO will work with countries in implementing the strategy until 2031 through technical cooperation, capacity-building, and resource mobilization.
