Sustainable Development and Environmental Health
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In order to confront the challenges of the 21st century and the new paradigm for sustainable development, human security and
environmental health, the Area of Sustainable Development and Environmental Health (SDE) was established within the structure
of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Through a holistic and integrated vision of the relationship between health and disease, SDE works to strengthen public
policies, institutions, and social mobilization for the improvement of the quality of life of the population in the
Region of the Americas and the Caribbean.
Individual and collective health for economic growth
Health is a singular value and also an indispensable factor for
economic growth and poverty reduction. Individual and collective health
is conditioned by the complex relationships between human beings, their
settings and their environments. This context demands intersectoral
cooperation, strengthening of local capacities and the empowerment of
social groups as strategies for health promotion.
Vision
SDE is a multidisciplinary team that together with other PAHO areas
and centers, conducts and catalyzes and innovative, intersectoral and
strategic effort to reduce risks to health and promote healthy
environments where people live, consume, study, work and play as a
substantial and essential element to Human Security and Sustainable
Development.
Structure
The structure of SDE, with its management at PAHO Headquarters in
Washington, D.C., consists of three Units: Healthy Settings (HS), Risk
Assessment and Management (RA) and BAsic Sanitation (BS/CEPIS--locted
in Lima, Peru). The Institute of Nutrition of Central America and
Panama (INCAP) carries out activities in food security for the
countries of Central America and is closely associated with SDE. The
Regional Program of Action and Demonstration of Sustainable
Alternatives for Vector Control of Malaria without the Use of DDT in
Mexico and Central America (PAHO/UNEP/GEF) is coordinated from
Guatemala.
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Tobacco Control
The Tobacco Control team works to help to reduce the burden of disease, death, and economic consequences caused by tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke in the Americas Region.
Link to Tobacco Control Site
Alcohol and Substance Abuse
The alcohol and substance abuse program provides leadership and technical cooperation to Member States on public health policies related to alcohol consumption and the use of psychoactive substances (illegal or used for non medical purposes).
Link to Alcohol and Substance Abuse Site
About the Team
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Dr. Maristela Monteiro, Team leader
Dr. Maristela Monteiro is the senior adviser alcohol and substance abuse and team leader of tobacco, alcohol and substance abuse at the Pan American Health Organization. Dr. Monteiro joined PAHO in December 2003, after working for nearly ten years in Geneva at the World Health Organization, coordinating the area of alcohol and substance abuse. She is a medical doctor with a PhD in Psychopharmacology, from the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Monteiro is the author of over 110 publications in peer reviewed journal articles and books. In her position, Dr Monteiro provides technical cooperation to countries in the Americas on the development and implementation of policies, programs and services. She promotes research, the collection and dissemination of relevant information on alcohol, tobacco and other substances and advocates for evidence based policies and strategies. |
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Dr. Adriana Blanco, Adviser
Adriana Blanco Marquizo is a Doctor of Medicine from the University of the Republic, Uruguay with a specialization in drug addiction from the CLAEH University Institute. She has worked in Uruguay, her native country at the Municipality of Montevideo, as a medical doctor, as a member of the advisory team of the Health Division on the issues of tobacco and other drugs, and later in the development of smoking cessation clinics at said institution. Since 2000, she has been active in the process of tobacco control in Uruguay, integrating the National Alliance for Tobacco Control, the Advisory Tobacco Control Commission of the Ministry of Health, and the Tobacco Control Committee of the Medical Union of Uruguay. In May 2006 Dr. Blanco joined the Pan American Health Organization and is currently the Regional Adviser for Tobacco Control. |
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Mrs. Rosa Sandoval, Specialist
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Dr. Roberta Caixeta, Technical Officer
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Mr. Chris Childs, Consultant
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Ms. Mayte Vasquez, Administrative Assistant
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On behalf of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Director, Dr. Mirta Roses, praised Brazil and congratulated President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for recently promulgated legislation on driving and alcohol that sets an example and represents a true model for the Americas to follow with regards to road safety and the prevention of deaths and injuries in the hemisphere. |
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 Top United Nations experts on Latin America and the Caribbean warned this week that global economic shocks could throw some 16 million people of the Americas into extreme poverty, threatening important gains toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the region. |
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 The effects of global climate change on human health and the need for action to prevent adverse impacts were the focus of a World Health Day observance at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) today. PAHO Director Dr. Mirta Roses noted that "Climate change is already affecting the health of people in countries around the world, and the consensus is that these effects are only going to intensify." |
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Sustainable Development and Environmental Health 
