Trinidad and Tobago has been elected to serve on the Pan American Health Organization’s Executive Committee for the 2026–2029 term.
The election took place during the 63rd Directing Council of PAHO and the 78th Session of the Regional Committee of the World Health Organization for the Americas.
This was attended by Health Minister, Dr. Lackram Bodoe, in Washington D.C. from September 28th to October 2nd.
The PAHO Executive Committee comprises nine Member States elected for overlapping three-year terms and serves as a working body of the organisation’s governing bodies.
It meets twice annually to consider key technical and administrative matters.
The Committee now comprises Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Haiti, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and the US.
As a member of the Executive Committee, Trinidad and Tobago will participate in discussions that help shape PAHO’s regional priorities, policies and programmes, while contributing its national and Caribbean perspectives to deliberations on shared public health challenges.
Dr. Bodoe says the appointment provides an important opportunity saying, “Trinidad and Tobago intends to be an active and constructive member of the Executive Committee. This gives us another platform to advance practical cooperation on the issues that directly affect our people, including access to medicines and health technologies, non-communicable diseases, the health workforce, health security and stronger health systems.”
T&T has also been selected to serve on PAHO’s Subcommittee on Program, Budget and Administration, an advisory body of the Executive Committee responsible for reviewing matters related to PAHO’s programmes, budget and administration and making recommendations to the Executive Committee.
