First International Meeting of Women Mayors for Health, Well-being and Equity – Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia / May 16 and 17, 2024 – PAHO/WHO

Context

This meeting is part of the work around the consolidation of healthy municipalities and good living, highlighting the importance of the role of local governments in promoting health, well-being and equity in their municipal management and networking. Likewise, it seeks to strengthen and position women’s leadership in municipal management, as well as promote gender equality and facilitate the exchange of experiences and results of policies related to the promotion of health, well-being and equity at the local level. .

All of these topics are, precisely, a central axis of the Regional Movement of Healthy Municipalities, Cities and Communities of the Americas (MCCS), promoted by PAHO. It is a platform of more than 3,000 municipalities in the region where various health initiatives are implemented that coexist synergistically at the local level, including the existing networks in the countries of the Region.

Similarly, the Association of Councilors and Mayors of Bolivia (ACOBOL) is a representative entity of the mayors and councilors of the entire Plurinational State of Bolivia, whose work is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2023, mayors of different municipalities throughout the country made the commitment to generate healthy contexts by joining the regional initiative, with a Bolivian seal: Healthy Municipalities for Living Well.

Among the objectives of these initiatives is attention to vulnerable groups with the implementation of public policies in favor of women, girls, boys, adolescents, the promotion of female leadership and women’s participation. In relation to this, the Government of Canada implements the cooperation project in the region Improving the health of women, adolescents and girls in vulnerable situations.

All of this is incardinated with the commitments adopted by the PAHO member states in the implementation, on the one hand, of the Strategy and Action Plan on health promotion in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals 2019-2030 and, on the other, in the Policy to regain progress towards achieving the SDGs with Equity through measures that address the social determinants of health and intersectoral work.

Organizers

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Association of Councilors and Mayors of Bolivia (ACOBOL) and Government of Canada.

Goals

The First International Meeting of Women Mayors for Health, Well-being and Equity, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia) proposes the following objectives:

• Provide a space for meeting, dialogue and networking for female mayors focused on political participation and governance for health and well-being.
• Promote the exchange of experiences that promote the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, in order to move towards the construction of healthy municipalities and good living.
• Promote spaces for reflection and debate among women mayors, focusing on the political participation of women and gender equality, as well as the effective implementation of public policies for local economic development and the care economy at the local level.
• Strengthen local governance for health and well-being through articulation and networking among women mayors to promote healthy municipalities and good living.
• Promote the exchange of experiences between women mayors on how to address the challenges related to climate change in their municipalities, as well as promote a culture of respect and equity in sexual and reproductive health issues.

How to take part

DATE: May 16 and 17, 2024
PLACE: Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia)
OPENING OF THE EVENT: May 16, Thursday, 9:00am (ET, Bolivia, Washington DC). It will be broadcast live on PAHO TV
PLATFORM: Zoom

access the meeting
(access code: 006543)

Diary