Press Release
☷Economic and Health Dialogue of the Americas High level Meeting Outcomes for 2024 United States Department of State
U.S. Department of State ( By Press Release office)
Mar 14,2024
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The Economic and Health Dialogue of the Americas ( EHA ) started during the 9th Summit of the Americas in June 2022 , thanks to the U . S . Department of State . In 2023 , the EHA had its first important meeting to set up the way it would work . Since then , there have been 11 technical meetings and a first in - person meeting in Uruguay at the end of 2023 . On March 11 , 2024 , the EHA held its second annual high - level meeting in the Dominican Republic with representatives from 17 countries . Ministers and Vice Ministers from various agencies like health , finance , economy , foreign affairs , and commerce participated , including representatives from the United States , Dominican Republic , Uruguay , Mexico , Bahamas , Costa Rica , Guyana , Guatemala , Suriname , Panama , Colombia , and Paraguay . There were also high - level representatives from Brazil , Chile , Argentina , and Ecuador . Additionally , leaders from regional technical organizations like IDB and PAHO were present , as well as representatives from ECLAC , USAID , USTDA , U . S . Department of Commerce , and CDC . What were the main agreements and outcomes of the second annual high - level meeting of the EHA in the Dominican Republic? Countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen health systems and economic resilience to emergencies in the region . Paraguay , Uruguay , Bahamas , Argentina , Peru , Brazil , and Chile confirmed that they would co - lead EHA technical working groups . Panama was praised for its leadership as co - chair of EHA along with the United States . PAHO announced the launch of their Public Finance Management tool , which will help countries analyze their fiscal space in the health sector to ensure responsible spending and sustainable public health financing . PAHO aims for two countries to use the tool in 2024 - 2025 . Several countries expressed interest during the meeting . PAHO also committed to using assessments from 14 countries to create a policy document that will establish priorities and identify gaps in institutional capacity across the region , with a focus on Caribbean countries . This work will support the Prioritization of Health Sector Transformation , led by the Bahamas . The Bahamas announced the completion of their assessment during the meeting . Brazil , Dominican Republic , and Chile committed to using the IDB ' s Maturity Assessment Tool to measure the capacity of social protection systems to respond to emergencies . Countries like Colombia , Dominican Republic , and Paraguay shared some of the best practices for social protection during COVID - 19 and discussed lessons learned from other sectors and emergency response situations . The goal for 2024 is to explore potential regional agreements to better prepare and respond to future crises in the region . This work supports the Responsive Social Protection initiative . EHA countries are committed to conducting a pharmaceutical mapping exercise and developing a regional strategy for nearshoring critical supplies . Priority products for analysis in 2024 - 2025 include mRNA vaccines , monoclonal antibodies , and antimicrobials . The United States , along with co - leads Argentina and Peru , will support this analysis . Argentina will also conduct a regional Private - Public Partnership analysis to support the Resilient Supply Chain initiative . USAID updated on the Americas Health Corps initiative , with 120 , 000 healthcare workers trained in the region so far . They also announced funding for a market analysis of vaccine production capacity in the Latin America and Caribbean region . EHA members approved the work plan for 2024 - 2025 and committed to a mid - year high - level meeting to assess progress . Recognizing the importance of digital health , EHA members proposed establishing a new workstream on technology and health , to be launched in 2024 . For more information , contact E_Commmunications@state . gov or visit the EHA website: https://www . iadb . org/en/home/economic - and - health - dialogue - americas .
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