First Latin American and Caribbean Urban Health Workshop

The accelerated and continuous growth of the population in the urban areas of Latin America and the Caribbean are contributing factors which are alarmingly detonating indices such as violence, pollution, physical and mental illnesses, among others. This is why it is imperative that the nations of the region identify urban health as a priority in their agendas. Advances and achievements in urban health translates to a strategy that ensures the improvement of the well-being of humans as individuals and as a community. The Latin American and Caribbean countries have made different efforts to solve urban health problems. El Salvador, for example, has taken important steps with the implementation of the Salvadoran Urban Health Model.

Each country has its own particularities, but because of them being part of a region, they share similar issues with their neighboring countries. Therefore, the first International Urban Health Workshop is an excellent opportunity for Latin America and the Caribbean to integrate in the search of joint solutions for the problems arising from urban population growth

The main objectives of this workshop are:

• The establishment of urban health as a priority in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• To know and exchange the advances and experiences of urban health in different countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the experiences of other regions of the world.
• The creation of a Latin American urban health network which includes current networks, policy makers, experts from governmental institutions, practitioners, cooperation agencies, and researchers with the objective to promote multilateral collaboration for the development of urban health in the LAC region.