PAHO is the oldest specialized international health organization in the world and serves as the regional office of the Americas for the World Health Organization. [...] The purpose of the report was to determine the legal authority and capacity at the regional level and at the country level to respond to health issues, with a focus on NCDs. [...] My report consisted of: an analysis of the Treaty of Chaguaramas (the “RTC”), the regional integration treaty establishing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); a case study of domestic health-related legislation and policy in Jamaica; and a discussion of how CARICOM and CARICOM Member States could better respond to health through legislative and regulatory measures. [...] I include here a definition of public health law advanced by Lawrence Gostin, a leading expert in the field, which provided the basis for my report: “Public health law is the study of legal power and duties of the state to assure the conditions for people to be healthy (to identify, prevent, and ameliorate risks to health in the population) and the limitations on the power of the state to constrai. [...] The prime objective of public health law is to pursue the highest possible level of physical and mental health in the population, consistent with the values of social justice.” (Source: Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint by Lawrence Gostin) With this definition in mind, it can be seen that law can advance the right to health through ensuring an enabling environment where people can live hea.
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