Guyana assumes the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Special Commission on Health in the Amazon (CESAM)

Guyana assumed the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Special Commission on Health in the Amazon (CESAM) on Tuesday, succeeding Ecuador and beginning a new period of work aimed at strengthening regional cooperation to address the health challenges shared by Amazonian countries.

The handover took place during the 8th Extraordinary Meeting of CESAM, held virtually with the participation of representatives of the Member Countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO). Participants included Guyana’s Minister of Health, Frank Anthony; Ecuador’s Undersecretary for Health Surveillance, Prevention and Control at the Ministry of Public Health, María José Mena; other Ecuadorian authorities; and the Administrative Director of the ACTO Permanent Secretariat, Edith Paredes.

The meeting provided an opportunity to review Ecuador’s tenure and present the milestones achieved during its Pro Tempore Presidency, including progress in the reactivation and consolidation of CESAM, its work plan, and the establishment of three permanent subcommissions: 1) Digital Health, Environment and Gender Equity; 2) Priority and Emerging Diseases; and 3) Intercultural Health and Traditional Medicine.