PAHO Director Dr. Mirta Roses presented her annual report for 2011 to the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) on March 20. The report details PAHO member countries’ progress toward the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and describes the contributions of PAHO’s technical cooperation in these areas. The report shows that the Region of the Americas is on track to achieve the MDGs for reducing hunger and child mortality (MDG-1 and -4) and for expanding access to water and sanitation (MDG-7). Progress toward MDG-5, reducing maternal mortality, has been more difficult to assess due to data and reporting problems, while efforts to fight infectious diseases (MDG-6) have shown mixed results. In most cases, MDG progress in health has been uneven within and across the Region’s countries, creating a need for PAHO programs and projects that promote MDG progress in the most vulnerable communities and population groups.

The PAHO Director’s Annual Report is presented each year at the OAS, which along with PAHO and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is a member of the Inter-American System.

Links

• Health and the Millennium Development Goals: From Commitment to Action (PAHO Director’s Annual Report 2011)
• Presentation of the PAHO Director’s Annual Report 2011 to the OAS