The 2009 Caribbean Sub-Regional Managers’ meeting was held April 13 – 17 2009 at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel in Nassau Bahamas.  The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen coordination among Country Offices (COs), the Sub-regional Office, Centers and Programs, and the regional entities, with emphasis on country focus and sub-regional technical cooperation processes.

Specifically, the Meeting’s objectives were to

Provide a report on the outcomes of the 2008 Caribbean Sub-regional Managers’ Meeting. Provide a better understanding of the national health situation and the technical cooperation program for and with The Bahamas. Update participants on the economic crisis and its impact on the health sector analyzed. Update participants on sub-regional integration, sub-regional initiatives and relevant technical topics. Define strategies and mechanisms to advance the mission of the Organization at national and sub-regional levels. Define strategies to support the countries in preparing proposals for the Global Fund (HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria) in accordance with the results of the analysis of the different proposals. Introduce South-South Cooperation initiatives and strategies to strengthen the role of the Organization in such initiatives analyzed, in the context of the 30th Anniversary of the Buenos Aires Plan. Review and discuss the Organization’s planning and regulatory framework for accountability and reporting, within the framework of results-based management. Incorporate Managers’ perspective into the methodology for identifying, validating and disseminating best practices of the Organization’s technical cooperation programs.

Dr. Mirta Roses and other Caribbean Subregional Managers' Meeting Attendees

The meeting was attended by Dr. Mirta Roses Periago, the PAHO Director and Regional Director for the Americas of the World Health Organization [WHO], PAHO-WHO Country Representatives for the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos Islands, Barbados & the Eastern Caribbean Countries, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela & the Netherlands Antilles, PAHO/WHO staff from its Sub-regional Office for Caribbean Program Coordination, the Directors of the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre and the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute as well as Area Managers and other staff from PAHO’s Headquarters in Washington, DC.