The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean hosted Barbados’ newly appointed minister of health and wellness, senator Lisa Cummins, for a high‑level planning meeting focused on PAHO’s Biennial Work Plan (BWP) 2026–2027, along with an orientation on PAHO and its governance.
The meeting brought together senior officials from the ministry of health and wellness, including permanent secretary Wayne Webster and chief medical officer Dr Kenneth George, alongside the PAHO/WHO country team. Discussions centered on ongoing and planned technical cooperation activities and the process for jointly defining national priorities under the upcoming biennium.
The minister and her team, the PAHO/WHO representative, Dr Amalia Del Riego, outlined PAHO’s role as the world’s oldest international public health organisation and the WHO Regional Office for the Americas, and provided an overview of their mandates, governance, and strategic priorities. Highlighted Barbados’ active engagement in PAHO and WHO governing bodies. Riego further outlined PAHO’s Strategic Plan 2026–2031 and its implementation through the Biennial Work Plan, and emphasised the importance of Biennial Work Plan meetings, which are held at the start of each planning cycle. These meetings support a structured, collaborative process to identify priorities, key interventions, and country‑specific needs between PAHO and its Member States.
PAHO technical teams provided updates on cooperation delivered across key thematic areas, including health systems strengthening, programmatic initiatives, and disaster management and response, highlighting areas of alignment with Barbados’ national health priorities.
