Toward a methodology for the study of good practices in international health cooperation

Abstract

In 2008, the Office of the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) in Brazil, also PAHO’s American Regional Office (AMRO), began to plan a methodology for the study of good practices in its international cooperation in the country. A team of consultants was hired to help with this plan. It is a pioneer initiative considering the fact that PAHO is a specialized regional organization and, as a natural consequence, its studies have traditionally dealt with health-related matters. And despite a history of important initiatives of dialogue with international relations specialists from the early 1990s, PAHO does not possess systematized methodologies that allow it to review and improve its international cooperation practices on a regular basis. This article’s objective is to report the process of constructing this methodology, as well as to present it as it has been conceived up to the present moment. Considerations prior to its construction are presented, followed by a bibliographical review of good practices and international cooperation. The core of the text presents the proposed methodology for the study. Finally, next steps for the actual implementation of the methodology are indicated. international cooperation; good practices in international health care cooperation; methodology; Pan American Health Organization