Strategic Plan of the Pan American Health Organization 2020-2025: Equity at the Heart of Health

Abstract

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Strategic Plan sets out the Organization’s strategic direction, based on the collective priorities of its Member States, and specifies the public health results to be achieved during the period 2020-2025. The Plan establishes the joint commitment of PAHO Member States and the Pan American Sanitary Bureau for the next six years. PAHO Member States have clearly stated that the Strategic Plan is a principal instrument for implementation of the Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas 2018-2030 (SHAA2030) and thus for realizing the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Region of the Americas. The 11 SHAA2030 goals form the impact-level objectives of this Plan. Under the theme Equity at the Heart of Health, this Plan seeks to catalyze efforts in Member States to reduce inequities in health within and between countries and territories in order to improve health outcomes. The Plan identifies specific actions to tackle health inequality, including those recommended by the Commission on Equity and Health Inequalities in the Americas, with guidance from the High-level Commission for Universal Health. Four cross-cutting themes are central to this Plan’s approach to addressing the determinants of health: equity, gender, ethnicity, and human rights. In addition to highlighting an integrated multisectoral approach, this Plan applies evidence-based public health strategies, such as health promotion, the primary health care approach, and social protection in health, to address the social determinants. In addition to directly addressing the regional priorities established in the SHAA2030, this Plan aligns with the World Health Organization (WHO) 13th General Programme of Work (GPW13) and with other regional and global mandates in force during the planning period.