Mexico Joins PAHO in 2025-2031 Health Cooperation Plan

On Monday, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) signed a new cooperation strategy aimed at strengthening public health systems across Central America, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico through 2031.

The 2025-2031 strategy provides a framework for technical collaboration across the subregion known as CAM — comprising Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. The subregion is home to over 183 million people, with over a quarter living in remote and rural areas.

“This is the culmination of a process of dialogue, agreement, and participatory construction that reflects the commitment of our institutions to the health and well-being of the peoples of Central America, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic,” says Jarbas Barbosa, Director, PAHO.

The strategy centers on four main areas of cooperation. The first involves strengthening leadership and governance in health systems to ensure resilience and equity. This includes bolstering human resource training, adopting evidence-based policies, and enhancing digital health infrastructure and interoperability between national systems.

The second priority targets disease prevention, control, and elimination. This involves integrating noncommunicable diseases, including chronic renal failure, into primary health services, expanding surveillance systems, and incorporating inclusive approaches that consider interculturality and vulnerable populations.

The third focus is on emergency preparedness and response. According to PAHO, subregional coordination will be essential to manage health threats, improve laboratory capacities, and address the health-related effects of climate change.

The final pillar addresses equitable access to essential services for migrants. It includes developing agreements to improve health service availability and supporting health workforce development in high-migration areas.

“This agreement will not only enable us to unite our respective capacities and resources, but also the political will of the subregion,” says Alejandra Acuña, Executive Director of the Mesoamerica Integration and Development Project, PAHO.

PAHO’s subregional strategies aim to tailor public health approaches based on shared challenges, geography, and governance structures across member states.