Policy Briefs
Policy briefs provide concise, policy-oriented analysis of emerging risks, institutional challenges and priorities affecting the Western Hemisphere.
The HRS Resilience Foundation develops independent research and strategic analysis focused on the resilience of institutions, communities and critical systems across the Western Hemisphere.
Policy Brief 01
Strengthening Regional Health Emergency Readiness in the Americas
From Early Warning to Action
Policy Brief 01 · 2026
Western Hemisphere Readiness Series
In June 2026, the Executive Committee of the Pan American Health Organization approved a new regional strategy for health emergency and risk management, creating a policy window to strengthen the operational layer between early warning and action. This brief examines how governments and institutions across the Americas can convert warning, risk information and existing capabilities into faster, more reliable operational decisions.
The brief translates this into five policy priorities and an implementation framework built on the HRS Readiness Cycle, treating detection, assessment, decision rights, coordination, deployment, continuity and learning as one operational cycle.
Policy Brief 02
Operationalizing the Economic Pillar of the Shield of the Americas
Lessons from Colombia, Bolivia and Peru
Policy Brief 02 · 2026
Western Hemisphere Readiness Series
Colombia, Bolivia and Peru — all signatories of the 22 September 2026 Joint Statement on Defending Hemispheric Sovereignty — already provide three independently documented, applied readiness cases addressing the Economic Pillar's core commitments: investment screening, diversified critical-minerals sourcing and trusted-supplier digital infrastructure.
This brief draws on the Foundation's Country Readiness Assessment series to translate those three cases into five practical policy priorities and an implementation framework for operationalizing the pillar consistently across signatory countries.
Policy Brief 03
Operationalizing the Security Pillar of the Shield of the Americas
Lessons from Ecuador, Chile and Panama
Policy Brief 03 · 2026
Western Hemisphere Readiness Series
Ecuador, Chile and Panama — all signatories of the 22 September 2026 Joint Statement on Defending Hemispheric Sovereignty — provide three applied readiness cases addressing the Security Pillar's core commitments: border security, countering narco-terrorism and trafficking, and protecting critical infrastructure against transnational criminal networks.
This brief draws on the Foundation's Country Readiness Assessment series to translate those three cases into five practical policy priorities and an implementation framework for sustaining security readiness across signatory countries.
Policy Brief 04
From Commitment to Capacity: What a State-Led Investment Screening Initiative Should Prioritize in the Western Hemisphere
Lessons from Peru, Chile and Argentina
Policy Brief 04 · 2026
Western Hemisphere Readiness Series
Peru, Chile and Argentina — all signatories of the 22 September 2026 Joint Statement on Defending Hemispheric Sovereignty — provide three applied readiness cases in ports, digital infrastructure and critical minerals, the sectors where the Economic Pillar's commitment to explore investment screening mechanisms meets practice.
This brief draws on the Foundation's Country Readiness Assessment series to translate those three cases into five practical policy priorities and an implementation framework for what a State Department-led investment screening initiative should build with partner governments.