| IntroductionThis 
              is the 2006 Annual Report on the activities carried out by the Pan 
              American Health Organization’s Area on Emergency Preparedness 
              and Disaster Relief (PED). It covers calendar year 2006 (January 
              – December). The 
              report presents advances in achieving expected results and indicators 
              that were developed under PED’s Strategic Plan in 2003. This 
              report charts annual progress toward meeting the expected results, 
              which are in place for the five-year period of the current strategic 
              plan. The expected results and indicators are attached as Annex 
              1. This report also focuses on the impact of disaster preparedness, 
              mitigation and response activities in the health sector of Latin 
              America and the Caribbean and does not pretend to provide a full 
              account of all work carried out. We 
              have attempted to strike an appropriate balance between an annual 
              report that is short enough to be read and absorbed in one sitting 
              and a report that conveys the real and profound impact of a multi-dimensional 
              Program with many major activities throughout the Americas. We have 
              attempted to avoid an exhaustive list of activities in favor of 
              highlighting the impact of the most relevant aspects of our work, 
              particularly as they relate to preparedness and mitigation, the 
              mainstays of the Program. Additional information is available on 
              any of the initiatives mentioned in this report. |