The proposed Program Budget of the Pan American Health Organization 2024–2025 will complete the implementation of the Strategic Plan of the Pan American Health Organization 2020–2025. It is also instrumental in responding to the post-COVID-19 transition and to emerging health and development challenges that will require efforts to recover better and to accelerate progress toward fulfilling priorities and commitments with Member States... The implementation of the proposed PB24–25 will also contribute to progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. The total proposed budget of the Pan American Health Organization for the 2024–2025 biennium is $820 million. Of this amount, $700 million is for base programs and $120 million is for special programs (including emergencies, as a placeholder budget). The proposed budget envelope also considered the financing prospects during the post-pandemic recovery phase as well as the proposed WHO budget allocation to the Americas for 2024–2025.
Recognizing the interconnection between outcomes and to provide a more comprehensive view, the 28 outcomes of the Strategic Plan 2020–2025 have been grouped into clusters by thematic area. The clusters allow for a more integrated approach to the management and implementation of the Strategic Plan outcomes, covering all planning and performance monitoring, assessment, and reporting processes, including the proposed PB24–25.
Proposed Program Budget 2024–2025 by Outcome Cluster, Compared to 2022–2023
The proposed budget by outcome is mainly composed through a planning process that considers the priorities defined by Member States for PB24–25. The Bureau also incorporated lessons learned during the 2022–2023 budget implementation.
* In US$ Dollars
The Communicable Disease cluster, comprised of Outcome 4 (Response capacity for communicable diseases), 12 (Risk factors for communicable diseases) and 17 (Elimination of communicable diseases) shows a 3% increase in its PB 2024-25 allocation compared to the 2022-23 biennium. According to the prioritization results, Outcome 12 is a high priority outcome, Outcome 4 is a medium priority outcome and Outcome 17 is a low priority outcome. The increase in budget will allow PASB to advance the Elimination Initiative and work with countries and territories to strengthen and expand immunization coverage across the Region, while also addressing the root causes of disease transmission and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance through a One Health approach.
The Determinants of Health and Cross Cutting Themes cluster, compromised of outcome 18 (Social and environmental determinants), 19 (Health promotion and intersectoral action), and 26 (Cross-Cutting Themes: Equity, Ethnicity, Gender, and Human Rights) shows an overall increase of 4% in comparison with the PB22–23. This increase is consistent with the prioritization results, resource mobilization prospects and PASB focus for the 2024–2025 biennium. The additional budget, with commensurate funding, will catalyze efforts to ensure that no one is left behind.
The Health Emergencies cluster is composed of three high priority outcomes. Outcomes 23 (Health emergencies preparedness), 24 (Epidemic and pandemic prevention and control), and 25 (Health emergencies detection and response) which are aligned with multiple areas of focus for this Program Budget. As a cluster, these three outcomes show an increase of 3%, considering that non-OCR COVID related funding will decrease as the Region enters the recovery phase of the pandemic. The increase in budget is important for continuing to strengthen Member States’ capacities for preparedness, prevention, and response to health emergencies and building resilient health systems, considering the lessons learned from the pandemic. At the same time, PASB will expand the Safe/Resilient Hospitals initiative.
The Health Systems, Services and Life Course cluster, comprised of 8 outcomes, presents an overall increase of 6% in comparison with PB22–23. It includes Outcome 1 (Access to comprehensive and quality health services), which is a high priority outcome, five medium priority outcomes: outcomes 2 (Health throughout the life course), 7 (Health workforce), 8 (Access to health technologies), 9 (Strengthened stewardship and governance) and 10 (Increased public financing for health), and two low priority outcomes: outcomes 3 (Quality care for older people) and 11 (Strengthened financial protection). Through this outcome cluster, PASB will work to advance progress toward universal health, with access to services throughout the life course. This will only be accomplished if countries are empowered to build strong and resilient health systems based on primary health care.
The Information Systems, Evidence and Research cluster, comprised of three outcomes, has an overall increase of 4% for the 2024-25 allocation as compared with the 2022-23 budget allocation. Outcome 20 (Integrated information systems for health) saw a surge of demand during the pandemic period, reflecting the need to build capacity to improve monitoring and dissemination of high-quality information for better decision making and shifted from medium priority in PB22–23 to high priority for PB24–25. This is also consistent with the areas of focus mentioned above, which recognize the need to advance digital transformation and information systems for health, ensuring use of timely, reliable, and disaggregated data for decision making. Outcome 20 is closely related to Outcomes 21 (Data, information, knowledge, and evidence) and 22 (Research, ethics and innovation for health), which as a cluster complement its funding, since data and innovation are integral to strengthening information systems for health.
The NCDS and Risk Factors, Mental Health, Violence, and Injuries cluster presents a growth of 5% for PB24–25 in comparison to PB22–23. The increase is driven by the increase in budget of outcomes 5 (Access to services for NCDs and mental health conditions), 13 (Risk factors for NCDs), 14 (Malnutrition) and 16 (Intersectoral action on mental health), rated as high and medium priority. Outcomes 5 and 13 have been consistently among the highest ranked priorities for Member States, as the epidemiological transition that is underway in the Region shifts toward the prevalence of NCDs. The increase in budget will also enable PASB to support Member States to respond to the urgent need for attention to mental health, which emerged as a lesson learned from the pandemic. Outcomes 6 (Response capacity for violence and injuries) and 15 (Intersectoral response to violence and injuries) have no growth budget from the previous biennium due to a low prioritization result.
The Leadership, Governance and Enabling functions cluster shows a no growth budget from the previous biennium. Both outcomes in this cluster, 27 (Leadership and governance) and 28 (Management and administration) are not rated in the prioritization exercise. In order to do more with effectively fewer resources, considering the impact of inflation, PASB will continue to implement strategies and innovations to strengthen its enabling functions and enhance efficiency, transparency, and accountability.
PAHO continues to strategically strengthen its country-level work. To distribute the country-level budget allocation in a transparent and equitable manner, Member States adopted the PAHO Budget Policy at the 57th Directing Council in September 2019. Following the Bureau’s commitment to strengthen its country focus for PB24–25, 81% (or $16.7 million) of the overall budget increase of $20.5 million in relation to PB22–23 has been allocated to the country level.
PAHO has used the designation "key country" (sometimes used synonymously with "priority country") since 2002 as a way to identify countries that receive priority in terms of the allocation of resources and the provision of technical cooperation. Based on the new Sustainable Health Index Expanded Plus, which measures economic, social, and environmental development, the following countries are proposed as key countries for the 2020-2025 period (in alphabetical order): Belize, Bolivia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Suriname.
In US$ Dollars
(*) key country
The base programs of PB24–25 will be financed through:
a) Assessed contributions from Member States, Participating States, and Associate Members;
b) Budgeted miscellaneous revenue;
c) Other PAHO financing sources, including voluntary contributions and special funds; and
d) Funding allocated by the World Health Organization to the Region of the Americas (consisting of both WHO flexible funding and voluntary contributions).
The total approved budget allocation from the World Health Organization for the Regional Office for the Americas (AMRO) is $313.7 million, broken down as follows: $295.6 million for base programs, $5.1 million for special programs, and $13.0 million for emergency operations and appeals. The AMRO budget allocation reflects an increase of $3.5 million or 1.6% for base programs with respect to 2022–2023.