Resumo em Inglês:

The Health of Indigenous Peoples Initiative was launched by PAHO in 1993 in response to recommendations issued by a workshop in Winnipeg, Canada. Its purpose was to address the inequality that exists in the Americas in the health of indigenous populations and their access to health care. Since 1993 the initiative has focused on the five following lines of action: building capacity and alliances; developing national and local processes and projects; establishing projects dealing with priority health problems; strengthening traditional health systems, and disseminating scientific, technical, and health information. A multistage approach has been used to introduce the initiative within the countries, and different results have been observed. The current challenges involve mobilizing extrabudgetary funds, coordinating the activities of different programs and agencies, and assuring the sustained representation of indigenous peoples at the regional and national levels. This report looks at the progress attained so far and describes future initiatives.