Regional Health Governance Study (RHGS) Research Program

Activity: Release of the Concept Note guiding the Regional Health Governance (RHG) Study Agenda.

The RHG team finalized and released a comprehensive Concept Note outlining the priorities for advancing a regional health governance approach in the Americas. The document emphasizes human-rights-based frameworks, institutional cooperation, and equitable pandemic preparedness across the region.

Background: Insights from the 2022 Pilot Study

The 2022 pilot study raised several foundational questions that informed the development of the Concept Note. These research questions continue to guide RHGS’s work:

1. Suitability of the Inter-American Human Rights System (IAHRS) for pandemic governance.
2. Ways the Inter-American System can catalyze regional cooperation for pandemic preparedness and response.
3. Optimal institutional placement and funding for a regional health governance framework (e.g., PAHO, IAHRS, or a new body).
4. Opportunities for institutionalizing coordination during public health emergencies within the IAS.

These questions helped shape the priorities and analytic direction of the RHG research program.

Aims of the 2024 Symposium

The upcoming 2024 Symposium will broaden the scope of inquiry and bring together experts from across disciplines to advance the Concept Note’s agenda. Key aims include:

• Convening a multidisciplinary network of scholars.
• Identifying shared priorities for designing an equitable pandemic management framework for the Americas.
• Using consultative and facilitative methods to shape a comprehensive research agenda.

Symposium Objectives

The Symposium will focus on:

• Defining essential pillars for equitable pandemic management.
• Exploring the role of human rights in pandemic governance.
• Assessing the contribution of regional institutions to health governance.
• Differentiating regional, national, and international approaches to health governance.
• Establishing methodological parameters for designing and evaluating human rights instruments.
• Fostering scholarly collaboration through multidisciplinary research clusters.
• Creating a steering committee to guide ongoing work.
• Identifying gaps and research needs for inclusion in the wider research agenda.
• Determining suitable outputs for the workshop (e.g., publications, reports, frameworks).