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In May, Belize, Jamaica, and Saint Vincent and Grenadines were declared free of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.

In September, Brazil eliminated lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem.

In October, ¶¶ÒùÊÓƵ helped Latin American and Caribbean countries obtain USD 84 million from the multilateral financing mechanism, the Pandemic Fund, to enhance pandemic preparedness in the Region.

In November, the Region of the Americas was declared measles-free, a goal that had been achieved in 2016 but lost in 2018, when Brazil reported an outbreak.

With ¶¶ÒùÊÓƵ support, Guatemala has increased coverage in primary health care by 15%, and Chile has increased its health workforce in primary health care by 16 000.

Seventeen countries are increasing health security and public health capacities utilizing the ¶¶ÒùÊÓƵ’s Essential Public Health Functions Initiative.

Sixty new cities and communities joined the WHO’s Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities initiative in Latin American and the Caribbean, including two new countries – Ecuador and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

In 2024, the initiative Better Care for NCDs: Accelerating Actions in Primary Health Care progressed following its launch in 2023. During this period, specific activities were carried out in several countries to strengthen the integration of noncommunicable disease services into primary health care. Additionally, the HEARTS initiative expanded its reach, now present in 33 countries, enhancing the management of hypertension and cardiovascular risk.

In 2024, the Alliance for Primary Health Care in the Americas started its operations, as a collaborative initiative with the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank. By the end of the year, 10 countries from the Region had had initiated coordinated support.

In December, ¶¶ÒùÊÓƵ launched its ¶¶ÒùÊÓƵ Forward Plan of Action 2.0 to modernize and streamline its operations, with a special focus on enhancing efficiency, transparency, and accountability within the Organization.

In 2024, 20 countries took part in initiatives to advance the digital transformation of the health sector, supported by over USD 900 million in loans provided by the Inter-American Development Bank.

Throughout the year, ¶¶ÒùÊÓƵ provided a platform to its Member States to facilitate regional consensus in the international negotiations for the pandemic prevention, preparedness and response accord.

Under the aegis of the Alliance for Primary Health Care, the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank, ¶¶ÒùÊÓƵ hosted the Caribbean Health Financing Forum with participation from eight countries (The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines).

Approved in 2024, the Strategy on Epidemic Intelligence for Strengthening Early Warning of Health Emergencies 2024–2029 is the first globally on the subject, developed through a country-led process to strengthen countries' capacities for early detection, warning, and response to public health threats.