Ottawa – Canada, the United States and Mexico have a strong and longstanding partnership, and are connected across many areas, including health, business and social relationships. This interconnectedness means that disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or other threats to health security, can have impacts across all three countries. Through continued coordination and cooperation, we can support the health and well-being of our populations.
The Public Health Agency of Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Public Safety Canada and Global Affairs Canada, and their respective counterparts in the United States and Mexico, released the North American Preparedness for Animal and Human Pandemics Initiative (NAPAHPI).
NAPAHPI fulfills commitments made during the 2021 and 2023 North American Leaders’ Summits to strengthen North America’s regional health security by working together to mitigate and respond to public health threats. It also provides a flexible framework that will help North American partners collaborate to address the challenges of potential future pandemics or other public health threats that require a coordinated response.
The NAPAHPI complements the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) and other international mechanisms which seek to strengthen and protect global health security, and supports a One Health approach that considers the relationships between the health of humans, animals, and the environment.
Together, Canada, the United States and Mexico will advance NAPAHPI’s goals by working on key areas for collaboration:
- animal diseases with zoonotic potential;
- epidemiological surveillance and laboratory diagnostics;
- medical countermeasures;
- public health measures;
- medical supply chains;
- health systems;
- risk communications;
- border health measures;
- critical infrastructure;
- risk assessment and foresight risk analyses;
- joint exercises and training; and
- sustainable financing.
“Canada, the United States and Mexico have a long-standing friendship and history of collaboration. The North American Preparedness for Animal and Human Pandemics Initiative demonstrates what can be achieved when our three countries work together on a common vision. Through more effective coordination and collaboration, we can identify and implement actions that seek to protect the health and safety of our populations, while minimizing economic and social impacts.” – Mark Holland, Minister of Health