CAF and PAHO to Support Andean Region Health Systems against COVID-19 and Other Emergencies

CAF—development bank of Latin America—and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) signed a technical cooperation agreement to promote a regional program to improve the preparation, response and early recovery of health service networks by building capacities for health emergency planning, organization and management.

Through the program, both institutions will seek to enhance national capacities for the management of health emergencies with a multi-threat approach through the development of strategies and tools with a regional scope. The countries in which this technical cooperation will be developed include Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.

In the current context, it is of the utmost importance that countries develop capacities to face any type of health threat, prioritize efforts to efficiently and effectively improve their health emergency readiness and response mechanisms, to protect the physical, mental and social well-being of their people, while implementing actions for a rapid recovery of their health systems and services.

This Technical Cooperation in partnership with PAHO—an entity specialized in public health for the Americas of the United Nations System—will allow CAF to enhance the health systems of the countries of the region.

Undoubtedly, partnerships between recognized institutions are, as never before, necessary to provide coherent, systematic, effective and efficient responses for the people that prevent and address major health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.