Release Type: News Article

The UNDP Caribbean Judges’ Forum on HIV, Human Rights and the Law created awareness of the need for members of the judiciary to look at cases and persons accessing justice through different lenses to ensure equal access by all persons.

The Forum, which targeted judges, was convened on 5 – 6 November in Port-of-Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago with the following objectives:

• To discuss the latest international and regional guidance on HIV, human rights and the law.
• To discuss the latest scientific, medical and epidemiological evidence pertaining to HIV prevention, treatment and care.
• To discuss judicial and legislative responses to HIV and related law at national, regional and international level.
• To review the social and structural factors that increase the vulnerability of People Living with HIV and key populations, including evidence on HIV-related stigma and discrimination.
• To share experiences and challenges in the protection of rights in the context of HIV.

There was a strong recognition among the judges that such fora provide an excellent opportunity to bridge the gap between science and global developments in HIV and the application of laws. There was also increased awareness of the critical need for public health evidence, thus requiring public health practitioners to be proactive in sharing available data with the judiciary to enable them to increase access to justice to the most vulnerable.

The forum highlighted the need for emotionally intelligent judicial officers who can recognise the vulnerability of those seeking justice. It was agreed that the judiciary should be cognizant that people seeking justice are influenced by the behaviour of the judicial officers, clerks of the courts, bailiffs and other persons with whom they come into contact. It was underscored that people seeking justice should not be subjected to differentiated justice but should be recognized as persons with rights.

I was encouraged by the receptiveness of the judges to take into consideration the new developments in HIV when discussing legal case studies during the forum.

Several recommendations and commitments emanated from the forum, including:

• Magistrates should be invited to future fora given that the magistrate court is the first court of contact for people accessing justice.
• Convene a joint forum of judicial officers and senior police officers to create awareness among the police of the challenges people seeking justice encounter at the level of law enforcement officers.
• Continue and expand sensitivity training of police recruits and police officers by civil society organisations.
• PANCAP will encourage National AIDS Programme (NAP) Managers to liaise with the judiciary to provide up to date data as well as information on the global developments.
• PANCAP will share the contact list of NAP Managers and other national partners with the judiciary to enable judicial officers to obtain public health evidence.
• PANCAP will create a dedicated page on its website for the Judiciary and will include the judiciary in its Listserv.
• PANCAP will collaborate with UNDP and UNAIDS to synthesise information which will be placed on the Judiciary page.

I congratulate UNDP for convening this important forum and for a very thoughtful agenda that stimulated spirited discussion and increased the judges’ awareness of the needs of vulnerable people who access justice and the need for data and information on global developments to inform decisions.

25 November marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and kicks off 16 days of activism to stop gender-based violence (GBV). The Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation (CFPA) joins the rest of the world in calling for governments to take urgent action to ensure discriminatory laws and practices are reviewed, and to implement policies and mechanisms to enable women to access justice, support and provide the necessary tools to combat this horror that plagues their lives, families and the entire region.

Violence against women remains pervasive and far too often a fatal phenomenon across the Caribbean with severe consequences for women and children, and also negatively impacting men, some of whom commit suicide, after murdering their partners and /or their children. GBV has harmful effects on a child’s mental, emotional and physical health with long term impact, which can result in boys modelling the abusers’ behaviour and becoming perpetrators of GBV.

GBV is most commonly committed by an intimate partner or family member. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that globally 35% of women have been victims of physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their life, typically by an intimate partner. As of December 2014, the total number of women who were murdered in Latin America and the Caribbean had increased to 1,906 cases (ECLAC) with 38% of the cases resulting from domestic violence (WHO).

GBV has serious health challenges for women, whose vulnerability can increase, losing their ability to control their reproductive health. Women who live in abusive situations often have less ability to negotiate the use of condoms or other contraceptives in order to protect themselves.  They become exposed to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV and unwanted pregnancy.

A woman who has been raped carries the trauma of the violence and often has to deal with an unwanted pregnancy. With the exception of Barbados and Guyana, women in the English speaking Caribbean are further violated by restrictive laws and policies, which limit their reproductive choices and put them at severe health risks and high susceptibility to a never-ending cycle of violence.  A woman with an unwanted pregnancy, especially resulting from rape, usually has an urgent need to terminate her pregnancy, even if safe and legal abortion options are unavailable. In this situation, she is put at high risk for complications, including debilitating injuries and death.

The Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation, which is a member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), has a high priority on the right of a woman to choose and decide what to do with her body. Ending gender-based violence and reproductive injustices are key steps in transforming the lives of women and girls. Family Planning Associations across the region work to provide women, girls and also men and boys with quality rights-based services, counselling and education, including age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education.

Today, we join with women and girls who cry out from the terror of GBV and gender injustices, calling on our governments to accelerate actions towards the 2030 Agenda, with attentiveness to gender justice and equality goals that address critical issues affecting the lives of women and girls, such as gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health and rights, adolescent pregnancy, the feminization of poverty, including unpaid care work, and climate justice.

Women’s Rights and Youth Organisations need to be strengthened to take leadership in transforming the region’s unjust heteronormative and patriarchal social norms which police and stigmatize women’s sexuality, and prevent women and girls from seeking and accessing the information and services they need to protect themselves and live a healthy life.

The advancement of our societies will be quashed if we fail to ensure that women and girls are assured of a life free of violence, and are free to fully exercise their sexual and reproductive rights.

#stopgenderbasedviolence #standagainstrape

GENEVA – The Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria approved funding decisions for ambitious investments over the next three-year period to significantly increase impact against HIV, TB and malaria and to build resilient and sustainable systems for health.

At the Board’s 42^nd meeting, coming one month after a successful Sixth Replenishment that secured pledges of over US$14 billion for 2020-2022, Board members expressed appreciation for the collective efforts that led to such a strong mobilization of resources, calling it a compelling affirmation of commitment toward achieving greater social justice all over the world.

Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund, expressed determination to use the unprecedented level of resources to maximum effect, within a coordinated approach by partners to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3, good health and well-being, with a special focus on reaching the most vulnerable people so that no one is left behind in efforts to end epidemics.

“Donors have responded magnificently to our challenge to step up the fight,” said Sands. “We must now convert those funds into a step change in lives saved, a sharp acceleration in progress toward ending the epidemics, and turbocharged progress toward SDG3.”

Donald Kaberuka, Chair of the Board, underscored the importance of moving swiftly to escalate efforts toward ending epidemics within the next ten years. “Time goes by fast,” said Dr Kaberuka. “We have to extend and improve our work to make the greatest difference, and to deepen country ownership as a foundation for sustainability that includes greater domestic resource mobilization and fiscal space for health.”

Roslyn Morauta, Vice-Chair of the Board, stressed the need to remain focused on reaching the most vulnerable and marginalized with effective interventions. “We must keep sight of our mission,” said Lady Roslyn. “All our investments in health should have a relentless focus on value-for-money, outcomes and impact.”

The Board approved a decision that translates pledges made at the Replenishment Conference into funding for country allocations for the 2020-2022 period, as well as certain catalytic investments that can further enhance impact in priority areas. The Global Fund plans to finalize the allocation and inform countries in December 2019.

The Board also approved a decision to advance the development of wambo.org, an innovative online tool that gives in-country procurement teams the power to search, compare and purchase quality-assured products used by health programs. The Board’s decision allows wambo.org to be made available for non-Global Fund-financed orders by governments and nongovernment development organizations on a variety of products.

During Board discussions, several members highlighted the need to improve data quality, timeliness and granularity, an essential element in improving planning, decision-making and oversight of health programs.

Several Board members also welcomed plans announced by the Global Fund’s Executive Director to establish a Youth Council to facilitate greater engagement of young people in finding solutions, since people under 25 are disproportionately vulnerable.

Peter Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, addressed the Board in a special discussion session on the SDG3 agenda, giving his personal reflections and insights from a rich career in global health. He stressed the importance of keeping a long-term view, of working collaboratively with partners, of embracing innovation faster.

“There are certain things that the Global Fund cannot lose,” he said, and then listed several, including a laser focus on measurable outcomes; prioritizing people-centred services, human rights and a commitment to social justice; and preserving a passion for saving lives.

“I love the language of SDG3: Good health and well-being,” he said. “It’s not just adding years to your life, but adding life to your years.”

The Caribbean Regional Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS (CRN+) has been challenged to sustain its operations in an environment of reduced donor funding. To establish a foundation for sustainability and growth, the leadership of CRN+ has embarked on a multi-prong initiative which included the development of an organisational development (OD) strategy and action plan and a resource mobilisation strategy.

In light of available funding, CRN+ agreed to maintain the current organisational structure with the addition of a dedicated Finance Officer and to recruit volunteers who could support CRN+ Programmes.  The organisation will also seek to establish an independent oversight committee for governance and accountability.

Sustainability

The goal of the CRN+ Resource Mobilisation Strategy is to diversify the organisation’s resource base for sustaining the network’s response which will be guided by the CRN+ Strategic Plan and costed operational plan.

The Resource Mobilization strategy adopts a dual approach – mobilising resources for operating costs (rent, staff salaries, maintenance costs, utility bills, etc.) through fundraising activities, and mobilising programme costs from conventional donor sources. A mapping of donors and funding agencies was conducted to identify and engage with potential donors to secure resources for CRN+ to continue its advocacy for People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and key populations’ access to prevention, treatment, care and support services, and to strengthen national networks.

In September 2019, the Spouses of CARICOM Leaders Action Network (SCLAN) hosted two side events during the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

“Ensuring Access and Equity in Adolescents, Children and Women’s Health” was attended by First Ladies as well as other guests who support innovative initiatives to ensure access and equity to health at country and global levels by adolescents, children and women.

Image: Ms Kim Simplis Barrow, First Lady of Belize and Ms Sandra Granger, First Lady of Guyana with other members of the panel

At the second event, SCLAN collaborated with New York University’s College of Global Health and HealthRight International in a panel discussion on the theme, “No health without mental health: Time to act and invest in adolescents.”

The goal was to highlight the current status of global mental adolescent health, best practices/innovations and the need for harmonised donor investment.

Image: Ms Kim Simplis Barrow, First Lady of Belize and Ms Sandra Granger, First Lady of Guyana with guests from the New York University’s College of Global Health and HealthRight International

For more information contact info@sclan.org

Image: CRN+ Board of Directors

Mr Tyrone Ellis was installed as Chair, and Ms Renatta Langlais as Vice-Chair of the Caribbean Regional Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS (CRN+) during the organisation’s Board Meeting convened at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, Bridgetown, Barbados, on 26 – 27 September 2019.

Attendees included the CRN+ Board of Directors, Technical Advisory Group and Secretariat Staff. In addition to electing a new Chair and Vice-Chair, the meeting facilitated a review of the CRN+ Global Fund Grant which ended 30 September 2019. Another objective of the meeting was to further evaluate and update the organisation’s strategy to remain relevant within the Region’s changing HIV landscape.

Addressing the Board for the first time as Chair, Mr Ellis stated “the meeting was important for CRN+ to further review and update its strategic direction to remain relevant within the changing HIV landscape in the Region. CRN+ must perform better, especially with a significant reduction in funding. With the development of an organisational development strategy, CRN+ will be guided on the best way forward. We need action!”

Yesterday was World Polio Day, a global awareness-raising day on the need to complete the job of polio eradication, and here at the World Health
Organization (WHO) headquarters, it was my great honour to make a truly phenomenal announcement: that wild poliovirus type 3 has been certified as globally eradicated, by the Global Commission for the Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication.

This is the second of the three types of wild poliovirus to have been globally eradicated. Only wild poliovirus type 1 remains in circulation, in just two countries worldwide. Africa has not detected any wild poliovirus of any type since September 2016, and the entire African Region is eligible to be certified free of all wild poliovirus next June.  Global wild poliovirus type 3 eradication is a tremendous achievement and is an important milestone on the road to eradicate all poliovirus strains. This shows us that the tactics are working, as individual family lines of the virus are being successfully knocked out.

But the job is not finished until ALL strains of poliovirus are fully eradicated – and stay eradicated. We must achieve final success or face the consequences of renewed global resurgence of this ancient scourge. We must eradicate the remaining strains of WPV1 and also address the increasing circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreaks, in particular in Africa.

And here too we are making strong inroads. New strategies are helping us reach the most vulnerable populations, particularly in the remaining reservoir areas.  New tools, including a brand-new vaccine, are being developed, to ensure the long-term risk of vaccine-derived polioviruses can be comprehensively addressed.  But these tools and tactics only work if they are fully funded, and fully implemented.

And so today, on the day after this tremendous announcement, I really have two messages for you.  The first is a simple and wholehearted “thank you”. Thank you for making a  world free of wild poliovirus type 3 a reality. Thank you to all countries, to all donors, to all stakeholders, partners, advisory and oversight groups, policymakers, Rotarians. Most importantly, thank you to all communities, to all parents. To all frontline health workers. They are the real heroes of this achievement.

And my second message is: please do not stop now. The Reaching the Last Mile Forum, hosted in the United Arab Emirates this November by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, will provide an opportunity for many of our stakeholders to recommit their efforts to a polio-free world. I urge all of you to stay committed and redouble determination in this final push to the finish line.

Together, the partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) – WHO, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,  UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance – stand ready to support this global effort. But it will take collective and global collaboration, from all public- and private-sector stakeholders, to ensure every last child is reached and protected from all polioviruses.

Together, let us achieve history: let us ensure that no child anywhere will ever again by paralysed by any poliovirus.

Thank you.

Image – Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, Chair, GPEI Polio Oversight Board and Director-General, WHO and his team.

LYON, France – In an unprecedented show of global solidarity, donors at the Global Fund’s Sixth Replenishment Conference pledged US$14.02 billion for the next three years – the largest amount ever raised for a multilateral health organization, and the largest amount by the Global Fund. The funds will help save 16 million lives and end the epidemics of AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by 2030.

President Emmanuel Macron of France electrified the conference with a stirring appeal to deliver the next generation a better and healthier world, fighting inequality and strengthening social justice. President Macron called on all partners to increase their commitments by at least 15% in order to reach the target of at least US$14 billion, and during the pledging session that followed, donors answered that urgent call to step up the fight – many making last-minute increases on top of their original pledges.

In a stunning final push to reach the US$14 billion target, President Macron joined Bill Gates to make increased commitments for the coming three-year period, announcing that they would each guarantee an additional US$60 million on top of pledges announced earlier in the day. With just US$80 million to go, President Macron, Mr Gates and Bono – pointing to the imperative of ending the epidemics by 2030 – pledged to secure at least a further US$100 million during the replenishment period to achieve a total of over US$14 billion.

“Everyone in the room today felt the power of a global community coming together to say in one voice: ‘We will end these epidemics’,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “We are tremendously grateful to President Macron for his incredible leadership over the past year. With the incredible support of partners and donors around the world, we succeeded in reaching over US$14 billion to help save 16 million lives.”

Many donors significantly increased their pledges, citing the urgency to take decisive action. The United States Congress signaled outstanding support with US$1.56 billion a year, maintaining a 33% portion of all contributions. France itself increased its contribution by 20% to €1.296 billion including the additional US$60 million announced by President Macron.

Other major donors all stepped up the fight: The United Kingdom pledged £1.4 billion for the coming three-year period, a 16% increase; Germany pledged €1 billion, a 17.6% increase; Canada pledged CAD930 million, a 16% increase, the European Union pledged €550 million, a 16% increase; Japan contributed US$840 million and other longstanding donors contributed as well. Further expanding its donor base, the Global Fund also welcomed 20 new and returning public donors.

Private donors pledged more than US$1 billion for the first time ever, an extraordinary achievement led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s pledge of US$700 million, subsequently complemented by the additional pledge of US$60 million, and (RED)’s pledge of US$150 million, alongside longstanding supporters such as Sri Dato Dr Tahir, Comic Relief and Takeda. Six new private donors also joined, including Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, and 11 partners committed other resources to expand innovation and impact.

The full list of donors and pledges will be posted on the Global Fund website.

The promise to save 16 million lives in the next three years and ultimately end the epidemics by 2030 will only be achieved by leadership and increased investment in health from the countries implementing programs. An unprecedented number of implementing countries from Africa – 23 – made pledges to the Global Fund. During the conference, several heads of state committed to increase domestic resources for health and work towards universal health coverage.

In a spirit of global solidarity, the conference brought together leaders from countries all over the world, including numerous heads of state and government ministers, several Nobel Peace Prize Laureates; CEOs and leaders of private foundations; Senegalese singer and Malaria activist Youssou N’Dour; civil society leaders and people affected by the diseases.

Maurine Murenga, who was diagnosed with HIV in the early 2000s, and who serves on the Global Fund Board, thanked all partners for recognizing the need to focus investments in programs that specifically address the disproportionate effects of HIV on women and girls.

“Those of us who survived HIV are here thanks to the Global Fund, but millions are still dying unnecessarily because they cannot access these life-saving programs,” said Murenga. “Young women and girls have to be at the center of the response to HIV in Africa. It is unacceptable that young women and girls are still twice as vulnerable to HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and six times more vulnerable in the worst hit countries. We know change is possible and we have to act now.”

Addressing the conference, several heads of state and governments of African countries praised donors and partners for their global solidarity and stressed the importance of domestic financing to develop long-term sustainability of health programs.

The Global Fund partnership is a proven mechanism for maximizing impact. Health programs supported by the Global Fund have saved more than 32 million lives since its inception in 2002, and provided prevention, treatment and care services to hundreds of millions of people.

“Today’s Global Fund replenishment result is an incredible achievement,” said Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “This is a big day in the history of AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – and one that no one expected two decades ago when the diseases were at their peak. Thank you to all the donors who increased their contributions. We hope others are inspired to follow their lead and support the Global Fund to continue its life-saving work.”

In a special message delivered on behalf of the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed explained how vital investments by the Global Fund are to meet the health-related SDGs, as well as to address poverty and inequality. The Global Fund invests US$1 billion yearly to help build resilient and sustainable systems for health, a critical component for universal health coverage.

Peter Sands declared in concluding remarks: “This year, we promised the seven-year-olds of the world that we would end AIDS, TB and Malaria by 2030 – the time they become adults – so they don’t have to. Today’s remarkable demonstration of global solidarity shows that the world is committed to keep that promise, by working stronger, faster and together. Ending AIDS, TB and Malaria is the fight that unites, and thank you to all our many partners for stepping up the fight.

###

Contact: 

Timothy Austin
Communications Specialist
PANCAP Coordinating Unit
CARICOM Secretariat
Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana
Email:      taustin.consultant@caricom.org
Tel: (592) 222-0001-75, Ext. 3409  | Visit www.PANCAP.org

Helpful links:

• Global AIDS Update 2018 – Miles to Go:

https://pancap.org/pancap-documents/global-aids-update-2018-miles-to-go/

• The Global Fund Website:

Guyana’s Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence was this week elected Vice-Chair of the global World Health Organisation (WHO) Executive Board during the 71st Session of the Regional Committee.

Minister Lawrence headed Guyana’s delegation to the 57th Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Meeting and 71st Session of the Regional Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Americas.

The high-level meeting was held in Washington, DC, from 30 September to 4 October 2019.

Participants probed a number of wide-ranging global issues including strategies and plans to address the multitude of challenges facing the Hemisphere, including reducing heart disease by eliminating industrially-produced trans-fatty acids; making access to organ, tissue and cell transplants more equitable; and improving the quality of care in health services delivery.

The Guyana delegation which also included Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Karen Gordon-Campbell also participated in several events on the margins of the PAHO/WHO 5-day programme including discussions on ‘Response to Ageing Societies’; ‘Mental Health in the Americas’; the Launch of the ‘Report of the Commission on Equity and Health Inequalities in the Americas’ and ‘Addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the Americas’.

The Guyana Public Health Minister also made a presentation on ‘Multi-sector Collaboration to prevent and respond to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Guyana’, during which she took advantage of the opportunity to highlight the Government of Guyana’s efforts to implement several measures, including the Spotlight Initiative which targets women and girls affected by GBV to help improve their overall health and well-being.

The ‘Multi-sector Collaboration to prevent and respond to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Guyana’ is part of a menu of measures by Guyana to respond to a slight increase in local domestic violence incidents.

At the 37th Meeting of the Council on Human and Social Development (COHSOD), which preceded the PAHO/WHO meetings, on September 28- 29, also held in Washington, DC, Guyana’s DCMO, Dr. Karen Gordon–Campbell was also nominated to serve as the CARICOM representative on the board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS).

Image: DCMO Dr. Karen Gordon Campbell, Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence, PAHO Director Dr. Carissa Etienne and a PAHO official

The Caribbean Right Here, Right Now (C RHRN) Platform held a capacity building exercise for youth advocates from the Region, including CARICOM Youth Ambassadors on 7 October 2019 in Georgetown Guyana.

PANCAP Director Dereck Springer presented on CARICOM Governance, Oversight Bodies and Participatory Mechanisms as well as the major initiatives of PANCAP in the Region regarding Youth and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). The purpose of the training was to improve the capacity of young people in navigating regional spaces of influence, especially CARICOM with the aim of fulfilling the objectives of C RHRN.

The Caribbean Right Here Right Now (C RHRN) platform was established on 19 October 2016. The platform is comprised of 12 Feminist, youth-led, and youth-oriented organizations with specializations in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), youth, women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues. The hosting organization, CAFRA, operates in 13 countries in the sub-region. The 12 platform members operate in nine specific Caribbean countries including Curacao, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Suriname, St. Vincent and Grenadines and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Member organizations have a record of success working with youth to design and execute research, conduct advocacy planning and communication, undertake capacity-building, and execute public campaign interventions focusing on comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), safe and legal abortion, and LGBT rights at local, sub-regional, regional, and international levels. These experiences link the work of the Platform members to core values of the global RHRN platform which are gender equality and a gender transformative approach, meaningful youth participation (MYP), human rights-based approach, inclusiveness and diversity, and focus on sensitive issues.

For more information, visit the C RHRN Facebook page: