The XXI Meeting of International Cooperation Directors for Latin America and the Caribbean, whose central topic was “International cooperation to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean,” took place on 29 and 30 July 2010 in Paramaribo, Suriname. The meeting was organized by the Permanent Secretariat of SELA and the government of Suriname, in cooperation with the Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation of Suriname.

In the context of that regional meeting, the Government of Panama, through the Ministry of Economy and Finance, offered to host the “XXII Meeting of International Cooperation Directors of Latin America and the Caribbean,” whose central topic will be “Integration, cooperation, and convergence for health in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

There is no doubt that cooperation in the area health has gained special relevance, particularly in the case of Latin America and the Caribbean, as this sector has become a priority in the social agendas of all the governments of the region and its importance has been ratified on numerous occasions by the Heads of State and Government of the region.

The Permanent Secretariat started to analyze this issue with the “Regional Consultation Meeting: Integration and convergence for health in Latin America and the Caribbean,” which took place in Caracas on 22 and 23 July 2010. On that occasion, the Permanent Secretariat prepared a document entitled “Cooperation experiences in the health sector in Latin America and the Caribbean: Critical assessment and proposals for actions with a regional scope” (SP/RRC-ICSALC/DT No 2-10).

These activities in the area of integration, cooperation and convergence for health are within the framework of Decision 512, “Integration and Convergence for Health in Latin America and the Caribbean (INCOSALC),” which was adopted during the XXXV Regular Meeting of the Latin American Council, held from 27 to 29 October 2009. They have been carried out in coordination with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

It should be noted that in order to complement the resources required for conducting the “XXII Meeting of International Cooperation Directors for Latin America and the Caribbean,” the Permanent Secretariat submitted for consideration of the Perez-Guerrero Trust Fund (PGTF) the project titled “Integration, cooperation and convergence for health in Latin America and the Caribbean,” which is being evaluated for its possible implementation in 2011.