(HEMA) Initiative. - OAS

PREVIOUS DOCUMENTS From Ottawa to Mar del Plata
CONCLUSION
A HEMA follow-up process is in place. There are already notable successes. Health and environment
sectors are working together. Opportunities for action are defined and priority theme proposals
developed for Ministerial direction. Co-ordination and coherence in the hemispheric voice
on health and environment should be continued. The HEMA inventory will serve as an important
tool to influence interested parties to invest in follow-up actions to improve health and environment
conditions in the Americas. The involvement of international funding agencies is important
for HEMA if it is to realize its goals. Much of this funding is currently provided at a country-level,
providing a systemic challenge to the development and funding of hemispheric initiatives. As
knowledge, capacity, leadership, political will and financial commitment influence the degree of
success, the HEMA II Ministerial meeting will be used to inject new energy into the HEMA process
and goals.
END NOTES
I. This document was Prepared by Neeru Shrestha, Policy Analyst, Health Canada with input from the HEMA
Working Group.
1. The agreed priority areas for concerted action included: water, sanitation and solid waste; sound management
of chemicals; air quality; climate variability and change including the management of disasters; food safety and
security; workers’ health; and the ethics of sustainable development. Ministers also identified 12 specific goals
to address priority areas including development and use of water and sanitation technologies; prevention and
control of water pollution through integrated water resource management; elimination of lead from gasoline;
development of strategies to improve indoor air quality; development of pollutant release and transfer registries;
and the prevention, preparedness and response plans in cases of emergencies and disasters. Ministers
acknowledged mechanisms to build capacity: i) enhancing surveillance and monitoring, ii) integrated health and
environment assessments, iii) development and use of indicators, iv) exchange and dissemination of knowledge,
v) review capacities of pan-national institutions, vi) improving information technology, and vii) cooperation
on training and development.
2. Canada, together with PAHO and UNEP, took responsibility for creating the HEMA Task Force. Several countries
coordinated the nomination process for their sub-regions – Canada for North America, El Salvador for Central
America, Colombia for the Andean region, Brazil for the Southern Cone, and Barbados for the Caribbean. CARI-
COM was identified by Barbados as the most appropriate entity to conduct the nomination process.
Nominations were conducted through consultations in the various sub-regions. Sub-regional mechanisms were
engaged in this process where possible (e.g. Organismo Andino de Salud, the Caribbean Community (CARI-
COM), and Sistema de Integración Centro-americana (SICA). The Task Force consisted of senior officials from
health and environment sectors throughout the Americas. In North America, the representatives were US (environment),
Mexico (health); in Central America, El Salvador (environment), Panama (health); in the Caribbean, St.
Lucia / Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (environment), Jamaica (health); in the Andean region,
Venezuela and Colombia (shared representation - environment), Peru/Organismo Andino de Salud (health); and
in the Southern Cone, Brazil represented both environment and health. Argentina – as the next Summit of the
Americas chair – participated with one representative from environment and one from the health side.
16 | June 16 - 17, 2005 - Mar del Plata - Argentina