Washington, DC, October 25th, 2011 (PAHO/WHO)- Representatives of countries in the Americas that are members of the WHO Executive Board met yesterday to plan for the next WHO Board Meeting, which will focus on WHO reform.

PAHO’s Director, Dr. Mirta Roses, also participated in the virtual meeting, during which representatives from Barbados, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and the United States reviewed documents on WHO reform and developed a series of regional recommendations that will be presented at a meeting of the Executive Board next weekend.

The Executive Board is composed of 34 individuals technically qualified in the field of health, each one designated by a Member State and elected by the World Health Assembly. Member States are elected for three-year terms.

The Board meets at least twice a year, normally in January and in May, immediately after the World Health Assembly. The main functions of the Executive Board are to follow up on the decisions and policies of the World Health Assembly, as well as to advise it and generally to facilitate its work.