The Leaders in International Health Program “Edmundo Granda Ugalde” (LIHP) 2011 held a week-long onsite meeting from 2-6 May, 2011 at the Centro Interamericano de Estudios de Seguridad Social (CIESS) in Mexico City, Mexico. This meeting represents the second module of the nine-month LIHP which is primarily conducted virtually. In attendance were 50 participants from 27 Latin American and Caribbean countries as well as the LIHP mentors and coordinators for the learning modules, the LIHP coordination, and PAHO/WHO staff from Washington, DC and the PAHO/WHO Country Office in Mexico.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) recognizes that health systems of the 21st century must confront new challenges to achieve national and international health goals in the face of a globalized world. The Health Agenda for the Americas 2008-2017, launched in 2007 by the ministries and health secretariats of the Region, as well as the Millennium Development Goals, establish an ambitious set of priorities and commitments which require intersectoral and international action for their equitable and collective achievement. The right to health, human security in health, the introduction of new technologies, the opening of borders to trade, the growing migration of populations, and the expansion of regional and subregional integration processes have created new and urgent demands on States.

Health leaders are increasingly required to formulate and implement actions that take into account bilateral, subregional, regional and global treaties and agreements. More than ever, health leaders must also act across sectors in order to achieve balance between economic growth and social development in today's market economy. The challenge of equity is an imperative for leaders, which necessitates an understanding of the social determinants of health and requires that countries collaborate to design and implement intersectoral public policies to face common problems. Simultaneously, the emergence of new actors, alliances, and structures has altered the dynamics in the definition of the global health agenda and poses new challenges for international cooperation and for the countries who must reconcile the interests of these actors with their own national priorities.

This Bulletin is intended to serve as a means for the dissemination and reflection upon selected topics in International Health and to provide information regarding the participants’ milestones and experiences in this new phase. The Bulletin aims to provide an iterative environment between the participants and the international community in order to:

a) provide information on the Leaders in International Health Program;

b) disseminate and reflect upon relevant topics related to health and international relations;

c) create a space for discussion and sharing of opinions;

d) share studies and information;

e) analyze news about public health issues; and

f) call attention to international treaties and agreements related to country team’s topics.

This Bulletin has strong linkages with the Interactive International Health Rooms managed by the country teams and serves to provide information on the participants’ work in the program. Given its electronic format, the Bulletin is open to comments and suggestions from readers and interested parties.