[International health and new forms of association: the Multipartite Dialogue and the Partners Forum].

Two cooperative public health initiatives involving representatives of civil society, academia, and the public and private sectors of the Americas are described and analyzed. One of them-the Multipartite Dialogue-promotes an intersectoral approach in its broadest sense, and the other-the Partners Forum-while it represents an institutional initiative, pays particular attention to chronic noncommunicable diseases. Both are a call to action for governments and offer alternatives to tackle regional health problems more effectively.