[Overview of the technical international cooperation in health]

International cooperation in health is a critical input for national development. Available resources in the health sector are scarce and are frequently badly used. For these reasons national and international efforts are required to reorient the delivery of health services. Many of the social and economic problems of the 1980s still subsist, and even though outstanding political changes are evidenced, the war situation unbalanced the global order. Poverty affects almost a quarter of the human population. It is necessary to increase the resources appointed to the social sector, particularly those devoted to health and nutrition programmes. Technical exchange between countries has increased considerably since its origins at the beginning of the century. The present international cooperation in health is based on the analysis of the countries health situation and health services within the global socio-economic and political framework; it concentrates efforts around social and epidemiological priorities; considers man as central axle for development and encourages social participation in health. International technical cooperation is also giving increasing attention to environmental problems, rising new pathologies, to the promotion of scientific research and to the development of adequate technology for each national situation.