Under the slogan “Building Health and Well-being Together,” the event, which runs until next Friday, aims to raise critical awareness about the need to move toward a healthier society.

Inaugurated in Havana’s Metropolitano Park, known as Almendares Park for the river that runs through it, the program includes tours of this area, considered the lung of Havana, a tropical rainforest of high scenic value and the only area within the city.

At the opening ceremony, Mario Ernesto Cruz, the representative in Cuba of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), acknowledged the country’s development and positive progress in health care and well-being, supported by several prominent health, science, and sports authorities.

The opening program included the inauguration of the Path for Health, a space that connects with the local flora and fauna.

Wellness Week is a regional initiative that PAHO has celebrated annually since 2011.

According to experts, health depends not only on medical care but also on the conditions in which people live, work, and thrive. These social determinants of health—such as housing, transportation, basic sanitation, and access to green spaces—require coordinated actions across different sectors. jdt/mem/mmg/alb