Guyana assumes Pro Tempore Presidency of Special Commission on Health in the Amazon

Guyana assumed the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Special Commission on Health in the Amazon (CESAM) on Tuesday, succeeding Ecuador and beginning a new period of work aimed at strengthening regional cooperation to address the health challenges shared by Amazonian countries.

The handover took place during the 8th Extraordinary Meeting of CESAM, held virtually with the participation of representatives of the Member Countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO). Participants included Guyana’s Minister of Health, Frank Anthony; Ecuador’s Undersecretary for Health Surveillance, Prevention and Control at the Ministry of Public Health, María José Mena; other Ecuadorian authorities; and the Administrative Director of the ACTO Permanent Secretariat, Edith Paredes.

The meeting provided an opportunity to review Ecuador’s tenure and present the milestones achieved during its Pro Tempore Presidency, including progress in the reactivation and consolidation of CESAM, its work plan, and the establishment of three permanent subcommissions: 1) Digital Health, Environment and Gender Equity; 2) Priority and Emerging Diseases; and 3) Intercultural Health and Traditional Medicine.

Among the advances presented by Ecuador were discussions on the Strategic Plan for Comprehensive Health in the Amazon, the importance of addressing communicable diseases such as malaria and efforts toward its elimination in the Amazon, as well as the development of a proposal to incorporate a health module into the Amazon Regional Observatory (ARO), with the aim of strengthening regional information to support health-related decision-making.

ACTO Administrative Director Edith Paredes acknowledged Ecuador’s work and emphasized the importance of ensuring continuity in the regional health agenda. She noted that many of the challenges facing the Amazon require joint responses from the countries, given the vast distances, difficulties in accessing health services, the effects of climate change, emerging and re-emerging diseases, and the specific needs of Indigenous Peoples and local and traditional communities. She also highlighted that Guyana is taking over a fully operational CESAM with an established foundation on which to continue building. The challenge, she noted, will be to maintain the momentum achieved, strengthen the work of the subcommissions, and move toward concrete results for the populations of the Amazon.

Guyana to continue the regional health agenda

Upon assuming the Pro Tempore Presidency, Guyana’s Minister of Health, Frank Anthony, thanked Ecuador for its work and emphasized that Amazonian countries share challenges that require cooperation, the exchange of experiences, and the effective use of existing capacities in the region.

One of Guyana’s first priorities will be to operationalize CESAM’s three subcommissions, ensuring the participation of the Member Countries so that they can advance their respective work agendas.

The Minister also highlighted Suriname’s experience in eliminating malaria as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation among Amazonian countries and advance regional efforts to address the disease. Guyana will also continue CESAM’s work plan and intends to present new initiatives for consideration by the Member Countries during its Pro Tempore Presidency.

Regional information to support health decision-making

Another topic addressed during the meeting was the development of the health module of the Amazon Regional Observatory (ARO). A roadmap was presented under which CESAM will define the criteria and conditions for the exchange and availability of information, while the Member Countries will designate technical focal points to move the process forward.

As part of the next steps, Guyana proposed taking advantage of the participation of the Member Countries in the Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) at the end of September to hold an in-person CESAM meeting and advance discussions on the work plan and the Commission’s next actions