MEDELLIN, Colombia (CMC) – The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) says it is helping Caribbean countries prepare for the new United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) for health.

PAHO said it recently held a regional workshop “to strengthen capacities in the Latin American and Caribbean health sector with a view to achieving the health-related Sustainable Development Goal by 2030.”

The workshop also helped further the preparation of a regional road map for implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development from a health perspective, and to launch the Pan American Network for Solutions in Sustainable Development and Health Equity, a discussion and virtual collaboration forum aimed at advancing the new development agenda, PAHO said.

“The new global agenda will require an integrated approach to sustainable development and joint action at all levels to face the challenges of our times,” said PAHO Dominican-born director, Dr Carissa Etienne, during the workshop here.

The general imperative is to leave no one behind and to tackle inequalities. 

During the event, representatives from more than 15 countries discussed tools to implement the new global development agenda, shared success stories, and evaluated progress in improving health equity within the framework of the social determinants of health.

They also identified opportunities to educate and advocate for sustainable development and health equity, such as open online courses, and agreed on the need to promote “Health in All Policies,” an integrated and multi-sectoral strategy to address inequities, PAHO said.

“Our efforts to achieve the human development goals should be innovative, sustainable, and collaborative,” said PAHO Assistant Director Francisco Becerra.

“A department, organization, or specific sector cannot reach the SDGs on its own. Instead, we have to work hand-in-hand with others to ensure that all our populations have the same opportunities for a long and healthy life.”

PAHO said some countries of the Americas, including Argentina, Barbados, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala Guyana, Honduras, Mexico and Paraguay, are comparing their national health programs and policies with the SDGs in order to create a baseline to implement the new agenda.

PAHO said it is collaborating with them and offering its support to strengthen their capacities in this regard.

The new post-2015 development agenda was endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in September of this year.

The SDGs seek to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all as part of this new agenda.