Trinidad and Tobago Elected to PAHO Executive Committee for 2026–2029
Port of Spain, October 2, 2026: Trinidad and Tobago has been elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for the 2026–2029 term, strengthening the country’s participation in regional health governance and decision-making.
The election took place during the 63rd Directing Council of PAHO and the 78th Session of the Regional Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Americas, which the Honourable Dr. Lackram Bodoe, Minister of Health, attended in Washington, D.C., from September 28 to October 2, 2026.
The PAHO Executive Committee comprises nine Member States elected for overlapping three-year terms and serves as a working body of the organisation’s governing bodies. The Committee meets twice annually to consider key technical and administrative matters. The Committee now comprises Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Haiti, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States of America.
As a member of the Executive Committee, Trinidad and Tobago will participate in discussions that help shape PAHO’s regional priorities, policies and programmes, while contributing its national and Caribbean perspectives to deliberations on shared public health challenges.
According to the Honourable Dr. Lackram Bodoe, Minister of Health, the appointment provides an important opportunity for Trinidad and Tobago to contribute to regional health policy while ensuring that the priorities of Caribbean countries are represented.
“Trinidad and Tobago intends to be an active and constructive member of the Executive Committee. This gives us another platform to advance practical cooperation on the issues that directly affect our people, including access to medicines and health technologies, non-communicable diseases, the health workforce, health security and stronger health systems,” Minister Bodoe said.
Trinidad and Tobago has also been selected to serve on PAHO’s Subcommittee on Program, Budget and Administration, an advisory body of the Executive Committee responsible for reviewing matters related to PAHO’s programmes, budget and administration and making recommendations to the Executive Committee.
These selections reflect growing recognition of Trinidad and Tobago’s active leadership and engagement in regional health matters and its contribution to advancing shared health priorities across the Caribbean and the wider Americas.
The election marks Trinidad and Tobago’s return to the Executive Committee after previously serving from 2014 to 2017. The Ministry of Health looks forward to its new roles within PAHO, continuing to advance national priorities while contributing to stronger cooperation and health security across the Caribbean and the wider Americas.
