Dr Pia Riggirozzi will this week be discussing poverty reduction focus in regional policies in South America at a workshop organised by ALADI (the Latin American Integration Association) in Uruguay, November 20-21. Pia’s research argues that regional institutions and policies advanced by UNASUR (The Union of South American Nations) have potentially significant implications for enhancing impoverished populations’ access to medicines and health care, albeit in the context of weak national health systems. These implications are most consequential for poor rural areas as these are often border areas, where there is a particular need for regional (and cross-border) approaches and policies.