Issue N.4                                                                                                                                                    June 2021
 

 PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre Regional Webinar

On 19-20 April 2021, PAHO convened all PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centres (CCs) located in the Region of the Americas for a webinar* to serve as a starting point to re-engage CCs and discuss how they can support the PAHO/WHO in its efforts to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs).

The objectives of the webinar were to:

• Provide an overview of PAHO/WHO’s current priorities and future initiatives. 
• Present the global and regional public health scenario and the work done hand in hand with CCs. 
• Showcase initiatives to bring visibility to the tangible deliverables of CCs.
• Provide CCs with the opportunity to interact with the executive and managerial levels of the Organization.
• Recognize the CC mechanism as a contribution itself to the achievement of the SDGs.
  
  *Also available in Spanish and Portuguese

Webinar at a Glance

Recording of Day 1 (19 April 2021)

Recording of Day 2 (20 April 2021)

Breakout Room Sessions of Day 2 

The webinar included eight concurrent sessions to give CC representatives an opportunity to interact with PAHO/WHO staff in their relevant technical areas. Following are some examples of the points that were made during these discussions. The final report of the webinar will include a more in depth summary of the discussions and recommendations.

Communicable Diseases, Environment and Climate Change (CDE)  
Rapporteur: Dr. Amalia Laborde (URU-2)

• Facilitate more dialogue among CCs and between CCs and PAHO/WHO, as well as create opportunities to develop networks.
• Strengthen the role of CCs in their sub-regions.  
• Enable CCs to contribute to monitoring and information systems. 

Communication in Health (CMU)  
CC Director: Dr. Niurka González Escalona (CUB-31)

• Encourage knowledge sharing of regional training/capacity-building on health communication and collaboration with other CCs working in similar technical topics.

Evidence, Information Systems, Knowledge Management and Information (EIH)
Rapporteur: Dr. Paula Otero (ARG-34)

• Integrate health data from countries, ministries and institutions to measure inequalities.
• Integrate the ICD-11 to measure inequalities to support the achievement of the SDGs.   
• Develop clear criteria on indicators for the SDGs.
• Promote access to information.
   

Family and Life Course, Health Promotion, Workers’ Health and Immunization (FPL)
Rapporteur: Dr. Suzanne Jackson (CAN-110)

• Encourage CCs to meet annually with topics centered around inter-sectoral SDG targets or other cross-cutting themes.  
• Create a repository where CCs can share their deliverables.  
• Facilitate a mentor system, whereby more experienced CCs are paired with less experienced CCs to offer guidance and opportunities for collaboration.

Health Systems and Services, Universal Health Coverage, Research, Nursing  and Bioethics (HSS) 
Rapporteur: Ms. Janet Hatcher Roberts (CAN-108)

• Encourage CCs to be aware of the SDGs, how they relate to their work, and develop key indicators related to the SDGs.   
• Compare country-specific SDG reports to what CCs are doing to support the achievement of the SDGs.
• Explore how CC networks can help build capacity and address Member States' needs. 

Legislation and Health, Human Rights and Equity (LEG)
Rapporteur: Ms. Katherine Ginsbach (USA-414)

• Identify how human rights and equity framing can be used for the achievement of all SDGs.
• Identify ways on how the O'Neill Institute can further collaborate with PAHO and be better engaged in its work. 
• Improve communication through monthly meetings, frequent email notification of material/events/shared spaces.  

Noncommunicable Diseases, Risk Factors and Mental Health  (NMH)
Rapporteur: Dr. Kevin Welding (USA-307)

• Increase CC interaction by creating networks, regional and global, and finding synergies, particularly with non-English speaking CCs in the Region.
• Create opportunities for cross-topic interaction between CCs. 
• Identify and showcase CC deliverables by translating research articles into policy briefs or other products. Embed links to CC deliverables in newsletter and on the CC website (link everything everywhere). 

Health Emergencies and Preparedness, International Health Regulations (PHE)
Rapporteur: Ms. Cindy Fabiola Hernández Pérez (MEX-33)

• Better define CC activities to comply with regional action plans/SDGs and provide opportunities to identify gaps.
• Improve technical cooperation through frequent communication; a repository of deliverables/toolbox of CCs (user friendly/accessible/QR code).
• Support the articulation of capacity for CCs focused on emergency response and other technical areas.

Poster Exhibition

Agenda and Speakers

Acknowledgements 

We would like to acknowledge the panelists, moderators and rapporteurs who participated in this event: Dr. Carissa Etienne, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Júnior, Ms. Mary Lou Valdez, Dr. Sebastián García-Saisó, Dr. James Fitzgerald, Dr. Anselm Hennis, Dr. Luis Andres De Francisco Serpa, Dr. Marcos Espinal, Dr. Gerry Eijkemans, Dr. Anna Coates, Dr. Godfrey Xuereb, Mr. Alberto Kleiman, Dr. Ciro Ugarte, Dr. Amalia Laborde, Dr. Niurka González Escalona, Dr. Paula Otero, Dr. Suzanne Jackson, Ms. Janet Hatcher Roberts, Ms. Katherine Ginsbach, Dr. Kevin Welding and Ms. Cindy Fabiola Hernández Pérez.