The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) participated in the Trinational Meeting of Health Secretariats on the Triple Frontier – Peru-Brazil-Colombia, which was held with the aim of strengthening health work within the framework of Amazonian integration, from October 27 to 29, in the city of Iquitos, Peru.
This event reunited representatives of the Ministries of Health of Colombia, Peru and Brazil; the Office of Cooperation and International Relations of the Ministry of Health (ORIS) of Brazil, Colombia and Peru, the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization; the Andean Health Organization-Hipólito Unanue Agreement (ORAS CONHU); the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); the National University of the Peruvian Amazon (UNAP); the National University of Colombia (UNAL) Amazon headquarters and the Institute Leonidas & Maria Deane, of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (ILMD/FIOCRUZ) Amazon.
ACTO was represented by the coordinator of the project Contingency Plan for Health Protection in Highly Vulnerable Indigenous Peoples and in Initial Contact, Carlos Macedo, who presented the progress and the actions that are being carried out.
This Contingency Plan aims to consolidate a regional cooperation action of the Member Countries of ACTO in border areas of the Amazon Basin that allows strengthening local health services, supporting the reduction of the impacts of COVID-19 and the threats of emerging and endemic tropical diseases in highly vulnerable indigenous peoples in border regions, with special emphasis on indigenous peoples in isolation and in initial contact due to their situation of vulnerability.
On the first day of this technical meeting, delegates and representatives showed the health situation in their territories and the situation of indigenous peoples. Epidemiological information, including COVID-19 and vaccination status of their populations were also exposed. A theme also highlighted was the inauguration of the Health Situation Room in Tabatinga, which is being negotiated binational (Brazil-Colombia) and with a view to being trinational (Brazil-Colombia-Peru).
On the second day, the ORIS table featured the presentation of the legal and international framework of bilateral agreements of the 3 countries. In addition, they pointed out that the formalization of any trinational agreement must be reviewed and approved by the Ministries of Health and respective Foreign Ministries. However, existing bilateral agreements between the 3 countries host the work being done by regional health authorities at the border.
The roundtable of intergovernmental cooperation and integration agencies, formed by ACTO, ORAS CONHU and PAHO, presented the activities being carried out in the triple border and agreed to promote the work agenda of regional health authorities, especially those aimed at Amazonian indigenous peoples with priority in vaccination against COVID-19.
The board of border Universities highlighted the institutional presence in the triple border and its actions with an emphasis on training students from the 3 countries, with an intercultural approach and research in the territory.
