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The foundations of the Open Science Recommendation agreed upon at the 41^st United Nations General Conference in November 2021 include (1) making scientific knowledge open, accessible, and reusable for all; (2) increasing scientific collaboration and information sharing for the benefit of science and society; and (3) opening the process of scientific knowledge creation, evaluation, and communication to society beyond the scientific community. These themes constitute the central framework of a new scholarly communication course recently launched by BIREME.

World Leprosy Day is celebrated on the last Sunday in January. In 2023, this international day is an opportunity to raise awareness about the disease and combat stigma and discrimination related to leprosy. The theme of the 2023 campaign is “Act Now. End Leprosy”. Learn about the products and services developed by BIREME that contribute to the scientific and technical knowledge about leprosy dedicated to researchers, health professionals and people living with the disease.

The year 2022 was marked by a series of achievements and challenges for the Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information (BIREME/PAHO/WHO). Still under the effects of the covid-19 pandemic and in a partial remote work regime since October, BIREME has advanced in its mission to support the countries of the region with scientific and technical health information through its products and services centered on the Virtual Library in Health (VHL) and its sources of information.

BIREME, through the LILACS database coordinating team, with the support of the PAHO Office in Honduras and the Country Coordination of the VHL and LILACS, carried out a pilot study with the editors of scientific journals in Honduras, which resulted in their improvement of and an award for Innovative Experience in the context of the response to covid-19 and public health granted to the Revista Médica Hondureña.

The 13^th Brazilian Congress of Collective Health, organized by the Brazilian Association of Collective Health – Abrasco – in 2022 had the theme ‘Health is democracy: diversity, equity and social justice’ and was held in Salvador, Bahia, on November 19-24, 2022. The event was supported by the PAHO/WHO Officet in Brazil and BIREME, which participated in its stand, serving as a focal point for the promotion of its products and services, publications by PAHO’s technical areas and book launches from the Organization.

November 14^th marks World Diabetes Day, celebrating the birth date of Sir Frederick Banting, the co-discoverer of insulin in 1922. The worldwide celebration is an opportunity to raise awareness about the impact of diabetes on people’s health and highlight the opportunities that exist to strengthen the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetes. BIREME provides relevant and updated information on diabetes for health professionals, researchers, and the population in general, as a way of contributing to the awareness and prevention of this disease.

Epidemiologist and researcher Dr. João Paulo Souza is the new director of BIREME/PAHO/WHO. The formal process of Transfer of Direction, according to the Organization’s methodology, took place on October 17 and 18, 2022, when Dr. Sebastián García Saisó – director of the Department of Evidence and Intelligence for Action in Health (EIH/PAHO) and interim director of BIREME since October 2021, transferred the Center to the new director.

Celebrating 120 years of solidarity in advancing the health and well-being of populations, leaving no one behind, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) actively participated in the 7th Global Symposium on Health Systems Research (HSR2022), held in Bogotá, Colombia, from October 31 to November 4. PAHO’s stand at the event was a space for the demonstration and dissemination of the main products developed by BIREME to support decision-makers in health, in addition to PAHO publications.

Ministers of Health and other high-level representatives from countries and territories of the Americas gathered September 26-30 in Washington, D.C., United States for the 30^th Pan American Sanitary Conference of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) which was attended by the Director of PAHO, Dr. Carissa F. Etienne and the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. During the event, the new PAHO Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr., whose term begins on February 1, 2023.

The Scientific Committee of BIREME/PAHO/WHO met virtually at the VIII Session on September 8, 2022, with the aim of sharing the current implementation status of the recommendations of the previous session and of promoting an effective exchange to obtain recommendations in favor of visibility and quality of BIREME products and services for the Latin America and the Caribbean countries.