Inter-American Development Bank
The Inter-American Development Bank supports development in Latin America and the Caribbean through financing, technical assistance and research. Its health work addresses public health systems, access to care, financial protection and the capacity of countries to prevent and respond to disease.
Organization profile
- Organization type
- Global health organization
- Headquarters / base
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- Geographic scope
- Latin America and the Caribbean
Medical focus
Activities
Population served
Development bank and regional scope
Founded in 1959, the IDB works primarily with the region’s public sector. Its headquarters are in Washington, D.C., while its borrowing member countries and country offices are in Latin America and the Caribbean. National and subnational governments are among its clients.
The bank is one of three entities in the IDB Group. IDB Invest works with the private sector and IDB Lab focuses on innovative entrepreneurship. Those distinct roles should not be attributed automatically to the bank itself.
Sources: [1].
Health systems and public investment
The IDB’s health agenda supports universal health coverage, effective access to good-quality services and more sustainable health spending. It also addresses prevention of chronic noncommunicable diseases and the use of digital systems to improve how services are organized.
This work connects health policy with the practical questions of financing, service access and efficiency. The bank provides financial and technical support to public institutions; its role is distinct from delivering an individual patient’s clinical care.
Support for malaria elimination
The bank administers the Regional Malaria Elimination Initiative. An October 2026 programme account describes support for countries to strengthen implementation of elimination strategies, including case investigation, responses to outbreaks and the capacities needed for appropriate diagnosis and treatment. The initiative combines these measures according to the local epidemiological setting.
A retained historical UN Global Mobility Programme member list names the IDB. That listing documents a past programme connection and does not establish present membership.