Milestones on the road to health equity at the Pan American Health Organization

Equity has become a key objective for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). This is the result of multidimensional movements with a history that can only be understood in the light of social relations that structure the processes we refer to as "health". From an initial concern for maritime trade to a current interest in the social determinants of health, PAHO has strengthened its efforts to make the concept of health equity the ultimate goal of its actions. The idea of health focused on the individual has given way to the idea of health for all people, which considers the differences between being and doing in the world. These changes have produced policies, analyses, and studies in which gender and cultural diversity are cross-cutting themes that must be considered in all planning and implementation of health policies in the Region of the Americas. This article discusses milestones on the road to health equity in the Region from a historical perspective.