Press Release – Page 14

PANCAP Youth Meeting Concludes with Call for Alignment of Age of Consent With Access to Sexual Health Serivces.

The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), Meeting of Caribbean Youth Leaders – Sexual and Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS, concluded with Youth Leaders advocating for a review of the age of consent not being aligned with the age when most youth people are allowed to access sexual and reproductive health services.

This objective echoed similar sentiments by Senator the Hon. Robert T.L.V. Browne, Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Chair of the Executive of Board of PANCAP, who delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremony on Friday, April 21.

‘The disparity between the age of consent and access to sexual health services is a shame’ stated Senator Browne during his address, ‘as young people, we must challenge policymakers to review this since it has a direct impact on young people contracting HIV and AIDS’.

During a group activity to create a framework for Youth Advocacy on Sexual and Reproductive Health, youth leaders stated that they were concerned that most young people are allowed to engage in sexual activity before they can legally access sexual and reproductive health services.

According to Ms. Raymoniya Lawrence, a representative of The Caribbean Forum for Liberation and Acceptance of Genders and Sexualities (CariFLAGS), ‘it is unacceptable that a young man or woman can legally engage in sexual activity but not allowed to access critical sexual health services. This has a direct impact on preventing new HIV infections. We need our policymakers to join the conversation on this issue’.

Youth Leaders further agreed to explore opportunities to engage policymakers within their home countries and committed to utilising their advocacy platforms and organisations to furthering the agenda for a change to the age of consent and accessing sexual health services.
Participants also voiced concerns about the lack of comprehensive sexual education programmes in Caribbean schools. In creating a framework for action, youth leaders proposed that policymakers should join in a conversation on the creation of sexual education programmes for schools across the region as a tool to educate youth about sexual health issues and HIV and AIDS.

Mr. Dereck Springer, Director of PANCAP, in his closing remarks committed to seeking opportunities for youth leaders to engage policymakers within the region on the key objectives raised during the meeting. He commended the participants for contributing to the development of a framework which will outline the pivotal concerns of youth regarding sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS and pledged the support of PANCAP in helping the participants to take their concerns to the highest level.

Funded by the Global Fund and PAHO, the meeting forms part of a wider intervention programme created by PANCAP for Youth Advocacy. Youth advocacy training, facilitating youth leaders’ participation in high-level meetings to influence policy decisions affecting youth and the development of a regional youth advocacy network are other interventions slated for implementation with the overarching aim being the creation of a well-informed youth advocacy body that can advance the concerns of young people on sexual and reproductive health services and HIV/AIDS.

Contact
Timothy Austin
Communications Specialist
PANCAP Coordinating Unit | Knowledge for Health (K4Health)
CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen
Tel: (592) 222-0001-75, Extension 3409
Email: taustin.consultant@caricom.org
Fax: (592) 222-0203

Editors’ Notes

The focus of the meeting was a discussion on the role of youth in the national and regional response to HIV and AIDS; participants were also involved in formulating and agreeing on a framework for regional youth advocacy.

The participating countries included Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, The Commonwealth of Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Grenada, Guyana, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The event facilitated in-depth discussions about sexual health issues affecting young people and the barriers to accessing sexual health services. The meeting also encompassed identifying what knowledge and tools they require to protect themselves from HIV.

PANCAP Hosted Meeting of Youth to Discuss Ending AIDS by 2030

The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) hosted a meeting of youth leaders from 19 Caribbean countries on April 21 and 22, 2017 in Port of Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

The focus of the forum was a discussion on the role of youth in the national and regional response to HIV and AIDS; participants were also involved in formulating and agreeing on a framework for regional youth advocacy.

Senator the Hon. Robert T.L.V. Browne, Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Chair of the Executive of Board of PANCAP delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremony on Friday, April 21.

The meeting provided an update on the new strategic directions required for ending the AIDS epidemic. Youths discussed their role in the national and regional response and agreed on the key elements of a framework for regional youth advocacy.

PANCAP Youth Advisor, Dr Astell Collins (Hon), explained that the meeting was pivotal for creating a strategy for youth leaders to implement in responding to the range of challenges facing young people with regard to sexual health and HIV and AIDS.

‘Young people, especially among key populations (KPs), in the Caribbean are disproportionately at risk of HIV infection’, stated Dr. Collins, ‘they face greater barriers to accessing prevention services. HIV prevalence remains high among key populations such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, and young people.
At the same time challenges regarding stigma and discrimination, violations of human rights and gender-based violence continue to hinder access to services for young people in general. Hence, there is a need to work more systematically with young people belonging to KPs who experience greater challenges in accessing sexual and reproductive health services’.

Youth leaders from each of the KPs were represented at the meeting.

The meeting, which was funded by the Global Fund and PAHO, forms part of a wider intervention programme created by PANCAP for Youth Advocacy. The programme also includes youth advocacy training, facilitating youth leaders’ participation in high-level meetings to influence policy decisions affecting youth and the development of a regional youth advocacy network.

The Meeting of Youth Leaders, the first of these initiatives to be implemented, will be held annually for the next three years.

PANCAP Enhancing Capacity of National AIDS Programme Managers Through ‘Data For Decision Making’ Workshop

The Pan-Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) hosted a one-day workshop on ‘Data for Decision Making’ on Friday, March 10 in Port of Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for fifteen (15) National AIDS Programme (NAP) Managers from Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Commonwealth of Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia.

The PANCAP workshop aimed to enhance the capabilities of NAP Managers to effectively interpret, analyse and present data to inform strategic HIV and AIDS programme implementation as well as to efficiently report on findings at every level.

According to Knowledge Coordinator, PANCAP Knowledge for Health Project, Dr Shanti Singh-Anthony, collecting and effectively analysing data on key populations is critical at this time of the HIV and AIDS response in the Caribbean. ‘With the reduction of donor funding, NAP managers have less resources but more to achieve’, stated Dr Singh-Anthony, ‘this calls for a targeted approach to key populations and having the right data to inform these approaches has never been more integral to the goal of ending AIDS by 2030’.

The Knowledge Coordinator echoed the sentiments of Hon. Terrence Deyalsingh, Minister of Health, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, during his opening remarks at the Fifth NAP Managers and Key Partners Meeting on Monday, March 6, in which he called for a recalibration of the HIV and AIDS message to focus on behaviour change.

‘If we are going to effectively create behaviour change, we need accurate data on key populations,’ stated Dr Singh-Anthony, ‘retooled strategies require data on their sexual behaviour, preferred means of communication, degree of exposure to health messages and other critical aspects of their behaviour in order to strategically create public education initiatives which accurately target key populations and effectively alter their sexual behaviour to more responsible and safe habits’.

Dr Singh-Anthony further emphasized that NAP managers should advocate for more data collection and analysis within their programme implementation since a lack of data can result in inadequate resource allocation, ineffective public education strategies and an overall failure to reach key populations with the right tools and messages.

The workshop exposed NAP Managers to a series of activities on data analysis and interpretation using a range of software applications. The focus was on identifying key relationships revealed in data in order to inform policy implementation and strategy. Participants were also exposed to critical aspects of data visualization to build their capacity in effectively presenting data to a range of audiences including key populations, donor partners and policymakers.

The workshop forms part of the PANCAP Knowledge for Health Project with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

PANCAP Partners with Caribbean Faith Leaders for Consultation on Ending HIV/AIDS by 2030

The Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), is collaborating with Caribbean Faith Leaders to host a consultation on ending HIV and AIDS on February 1 and 2, 2017 in Port of Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The consultation is being funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

According to Director of the PANCAP Coordinating Unit (PCU), Mr. Dereck Springer, ‘the consultation is for Caribbean Faith Leaders by faith leaders given the crucial role of the faith community in ending AIDS.
The overarching objective of the consultation will focus on the contributions that Faith Leaders can make toward ending the epidemic by 2030. These include affirming recommendations from the UN High Level 2016 Political Declaration, strategies to promote healthy living for all age groups, to address best practices, identify gaps to be filled, resources required and types of regional cooperation to be undertaken to implement recommendations from the consultation.

Forty (40) religious and lay leaders representing different faiths and denominations across the Caribbean will attend the consultation. The consultations will take the form of two keynote presentations on ‘What the science is saying’ by Professor Clive Landis, Deputy Principal of UWI Cave Hill and ‘The Role of Faith Leaders’ by Rev. Dr. Nyambura Njoroge, Project Coordinator, World Council of Churches (WCC).

The consultation will take into consideration the targets established at

(a) the United Nations High Level Meeting Political Declaration June 2016 on ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 and
(b) the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals approved by 192 nations at the UN in September 2015.

Emphasis will be on Goal 3: ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages. This universal health goal with complementary components includes ending the epidemics of AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria, other neglected tropical diseases and preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age by 2030; reducing maternal mortality and mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Hence, priority will be placed on universal health coverage, health systems strengthening, building capability towards a healthy environment and increasing financial sustainability. Achieving these objectives will require placing emphasis on shared responsibility among religious organizations, governments, private sector and civil society.

According to member of the Executive Planning Committee for the Caribbean Faith Leaders Consultation, Ms. Lorna McPherson, ‘what I am most impressed with is the fact that the consultation will facilitate discussions that are not just about religion, but instead we will be discussing the totality of the issue surrounding HIV and how it affects our communities. It will allow us as leaders to examine how we can reach beyond our own sphere of influence and provide support to people who are not members of our community’.

Following the conclusion of the consultation, a communique will be issued with details of the way forward for Caribbean Faith Leaders and their role in ending HIV and AIDS.

K4Health Programme to Enhance Knowledge Creation, Sharing, & Learning Within PANCAP

The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV&AIDS, PANCAP, has formed a partnership with the Knowledge for Health (K4Health) Program to significantly enhance the capacity of the PANCAP Coordinating Unit (PCU) and to aid all PANCAP members in knowledge generation and sharing with regard to the new World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for ‘Test and Start’.

The K4Health Project, based in Baltimore, United States, is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Global Health, Office of Population and Reproductive Health and implemented by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP).

According to Director of PANCAP, Dereck Springer, the new partnership will transform the way in which knowledge management and sharing is done among the PANCAP member countries with particular regard to the new WHO guidelines for HIV/AIDS treatment eligibility.

‘HIV positive persons are living longer and healthier lives when treatment is administered from the point of diagnosis,’ stated the PANCAP Director, ‘but we must consider the significant changes that must occur within health care systems and HIV/AIDS health support entities if HIV positive people require treatment right after diagnosis rather than when their viral load becomes high. This requires a large public education initiative and training for health care workers. The K4Health Project will assist with packaging and sharing vital information necessary for PANCAP members to begin the process of educating health care workers and the public about commencing treatment immediately after a HIV positive diagnosis’.

According to Knowledge Management Advisor, K4Health Project, Sarah Fohl, ‘our goal is to present information that is vital to HIV testing and early treatment in concise, well-packaged communication products that can be easily accessed and utilized by policy makers, health care professionals, civil society organizations, and all entities involved in the eradication of the virus’.

The Knowledge Management Advisor explained that the new partnership between the two entities will help to enhance the availability and access to vital information regarding the new treatment eligibility. ‘For example, K4Health will be instrumental in revamping and relaunching the PANCAP website with fact sheets, policy documents, brochures, and other communication products which will concisely illustrate the importance of commencing early HIV treatment after a positive diagnosis as well as other issues related to advocacy around stigma and discrimination’.

The K4Health Project will conduct a number of other initiatives including knowledge sharing events and workshops for PANCAP members which are designed to increase learning opportunities and exchange of best practices throughout the Caribbean region related to the implementation of the new early treatment guidelines.

‘Our overarching aim is to support the PANCAP Coordinating Unit’s mandate to demonstrate PANCAP’s value in contributing to a regional HIV response,’ stated Ms. Fohl, ‘ we believe that through enhanced knowledge generation, sharing, and learning among PANCAP members, we can effectively support the scale up of “Test and Start” in the Caribbean Region’.

Minister of Public Health Guyana says Country is Benefitting from Global Grants for AIDS, TB, and Malaria

Minister of Public Health, Guyana, Hon. Dr. George Norton, speaking at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Global Fund Side Event at the PAHO 55th Directing Council stated that Guyana continues to benefit significantly from Global Fund grants especially with regard to the response to HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

After congratulating the Global Fund on its successful 5th Replenishment, Minister Norton stated that the Caribbean, including Guyana, has utilized significant resources provided by the Global Fund to place increased numbers of persons on treatment for HIV and TB and to prevent new HIV, TB and Malaria infections.

‘We are heartened that the Global Fund Secretariat is supporting countries to plan for sustainability and successful transition’, stated Minister Norton, ‘we are looking forward to the transition model which will evolve in Jamaica following the exercise it is currently undertaking with support from the Global Fund and PEPFAR’.

The Global Fund has helped beneficiary countries to improve health systems and strengthened governance and transparency through the Country Coordination Mechanism (CCMs).

The Minister of Public Health further stated that he anticipated additional strengthening and full country ownership of CCMs to enable them to be sustained post Global Fund and continue to play a meaningful role in the national health response.

Minister Norton concluded by congratulating the Latin America and Caribbean delegation to the Global Fund Board for their increased engagement in the Global Fund Board, Committees and representation. ‘We look forward to their continued advocacy on behalf of the Latin America and Caribbean Region’ stated Minister Norton.

Caribbean Sex Worker Coalition (CSWC) to Conduct Workshop on SWIT (Sex Worker Implentation Tool) in Georgetown, Guyana

The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV & AIDS, PANCAP, will be a key stakeholder at the Caribbean Sex Work Coalition SWIT (Sex Worker Implementation Tool) Meeting to be held from October 16 to 20, 2016 in Georgetown, Guyana.

According to Miriam Edwards, Co-chair and Coordinator of the Caribbean Sex Work Coalition (CSWC), ‘it is vital that sex workers and sex worker-led groups fully understand the importance of SWIT to creating a safe environment for sex work that is free of stigma and discrimination’.

The Sex Worker Implementation Tool (SWIT) offers practical guidance on effective HIV and STI programming for sex workers. It provides evidence for the necessity of decriminalization of sex work, the involvement of sex workers in developing policy, and the empowerment and self-determination of sex working communities as a fundamental part of the fight against HIV.

SWIT was created by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is based on WHO’s 2012 recommendations on HIV and Sex Work.

The Co-Chair of the CSWC explained that the idea for the SWIT workshop was generated after Leaders of the CSWC participated in the Global Fund SWIT workshop in October, 2015 in Ecuador as well as additional SWIT training activities earlier in 2015 organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

‘Following discussions at the CSWC’s last Regional Meeting, an agreement was formed by a consortium network of sex workers from NSWP (Global Network of Sex Work Projects) that increased awareness of SWIT is crucial to the development of sex workers in the Caribbean’, stated the Co-Chair, ‘CSWC has received the support of NSWP through the Robert Carr Civil Society Networks Fund (RCNF) to convene this 5-day SWIT training in Guyana’.

Director of PANCAP, Dereck Springer, echoes these sentiments and advocates for more attention on the issue of stigma and discrimination within the sex work environment.

‘It is imperative that PANCAP attends and supports this workshop since eliminating discrimination against sex workers is a key component of PANCAP’s Justice for All (JFA) initiative,’ stated the PANCAP Director, ‘the JFA advocates for the reduction of stigma and discrimination and the upholding of human rights with particular regard to the right to access HIV prevention, treatment and care’.

‘Ending AIDS requires an environment that is free of stigma and discrimination,’ stated the PANCAP Director, ‘key populations such as sex workers are more likely to receive education on HIV/AIDS, as well as prevention tools when there is no fear or being stigmatized. I fully endorse the objective of the SWIT workshop. Sex workers must be cognizant of their role in creating a stigma free environment as well as what actions are pivotal to eliminating the spread of HIV/AIDS in the sex work industry’.

The SWIT Workshop, which will host participants from Guyana, Jamaica, Antigua, Suriname, Trinidad and the Bahamas, aims to provide effective training on the use and implementation of the SWIT with the objective of building the knowledge capacity of sex workers in reducing stigma and discrimination.

Fifth Meeting of NAP Managers and Key Partners Conclude with Call for More Civil Society Involvement at All Levels

The Pan-Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) concluded the Fifth Meeting of National AIDS Programme (NAP) Managers and Key Partners, March 6 – 8, with an urgent call to include more civil society organizations (CSOs) in programme implementation and for an increased emphasis on behavioural change strategies, particularly focused on men. The presentations, discussions and activities revolved around the theme ‘strengthening the HIV response’.

Ms. Gardenia Destang-Richardson, National AIDS Programme Manager, Ministry of Health St Kitts and Nevis and National AIDS Programme Managers Representative on PANCAP Governance Bodies, called for NAP managers, permanent secretaries and other policy makers to intensify efforts to include members of the civil society organizations at all levels on HIV and AIDS programme planning and implementation.

During her closing remarks, Ms. Destang-Richardson received consensus from participants on the following next steps towards strengthening the HIV and AIDS response in the Caribbean:

Recalibrating messages being used to educate the public on HIV and AIDS to focus on creating behavior change
Focusing on men and boys to influence more sexual responsibility within society
Leveraging the policy making influence of permanent secretaries and chief medical officers
Including civil society organizations at all levels of HIV and AIDS programme implementation

‘Civil society organizations have their finger on the pulse of the key populations’, stated Ms. Destang-Richardson, ‘in rural areas where exposure to media and HIV and AIDS education is limited, it is the CSOs that drive the message and prevent many new infections through public awareness activities and advocacy. Hence, we need their input at all levels when planning strategies related to the end of AIDS by 2020. They provide pivotal insight and inform unique approaches to bringing key messages to their populations. I challenge every NAP manager, permanent secretary and chief medical officer at this meeting to advocate for inclusion of CSOs at all levels, including policy development, moving forward’.

Participant Kinesha Thom, representative of the Caribbean Sex Work Coalition (CSWC), made an appeal for policymakers and donor partners to create new avenues for involvement of CSOs. ‘We deserve recognition as the pathway through which most of the HIV and AIDs awareness is received by key populations,’ stated Ms. Thom, ‘hence we are integral to formulating programmes related to HIV and AIDS, especially if we intend to increase efforts to create behaviour change’.

Echoing the challenge issued at the Opening Ceremony on Monday by Hon. Terrence Deyalsingh, Minister of Health, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Dereck Springer, Director of the PANCAP Coordinating Unit, challenged all participants to rethink public education on HIV and AIDS to focus more on behaviour change strategies that will significantly cause members of key populations to exercise more responsibility with their sexual behaviour. ‘We have to concentrate on our boys and men when we conceptualize prevention messages,’ stated the Director, ‘they have a tremendous influence on sexual behaviour in society and we must leverage this influence and channel it in a positive way’.

The meeting, funded by the Global Fund and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), hosted over 70 NAP managers, selected chief medical officers and permanent secretaries, as well as representatives of civil society organizations, and regional and development partners.

Editor’s Notes

Background to the National AIDS Programme Managers and Key Partners Meeting

The Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework (CRSF) 2014-2018 articulates the vision and collective priorities of Caribbean states through their membership in the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP). The core premise is that stemming the HIV epidemic in the Caribbean rests on the commitment, capacity and leadership of national authorities and effective response. The primary goal of regional collaborative efforts is to support country responses by addressing common challenges in the areas of evidence based policy formulation, and innovative responses to addressing legislative gaps, resource mobilisation, coordination and technical assistance., An effective regional response, guided by the CRSF 2014-2018,therefore requires that the links and interfaces between country programmes and regional support programmes be defined and agreed to by country partners. This is critical for strengthening country ownership of the PANCAP response and a shared responsibility to strategically align efforts to end HIV as a public health problem in the Caribbean.

The NAP (National AIDS Program) Managers and Key Partners Meeting provides an opportunity for joint decision-making in setting programmatic priorities and identifying partner contributions in order to strategically align efforts in the fight against HIV. The Meeting Agenda is intended to allow for in-depth analysis and discussion on the relevant aspects of the UN Post 2015 Agenda, and the overall advancements of the Caribbean Region in implementing new initiatives for HIV. It is within this context that opportunities and challenges for the Region and individual countries to expand the national responses will be discussed. PANCAP acknowledges the need for greater attention to inter- country linkages and greater collaboration with regional partners. This will serve to maximise synergies, and provide a mechanism for making regional public goods available to national programmes to enhance their delivery and impact.

What are the 90-90-90 targets?

By 2020, 90% of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status.
By 2020, 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy.
By 2020, 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression)

Follow updates from the Meeting of NAP Managers and Key Partners using #StrengtheningHIVResponse

US$12.9B Pledged By Donors For AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Says Minister Of Health and Social Security, Grenada

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Global Fund convened a Side Event at the PAHO 55th Directing Council to provide for an update on the developments of the Global Fund in the Latin American and Caribbean Region.

Speaking at the Side Event, Hon. Nickolas Steele, Minister of Health and Social Security, Grenada and Board Member, Latin America and Caribbean Constituency of the Global Fund Board stated that at the recently concluded 5th Replenishment Conference in Montreal, Canada, donors including the private sector and implementing countries pledged US12.9 Billion to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for the next three (3) years.

‘We are heartened by this extraordinary global commitment toward ending the three (3) epidemics,’ stated Minister Steele.

The Minister further stated that the allocation based funding model adopted by the Global Fund since 2014 is predictable and agile but it is still relying on the GDP and burden of disease indicators. ‘These we believe are not coherent nor conducive to the New Strategy 2017-2022 vision of ending the epidemics’, stated Minister Steele, ‘It is critical to protect the gains and to support countries already moving into the elimination phase by applying the catalytic funding in the most appropriate and smarter way’.

He also indicated that it is crucial to support civil society and particularly people affected by these diseases by strengthening their capacity to participate and to contribute fully in policy development and implementation.

The Minister advocated that governments must commit to remove legal and other barriers to ensure full social inclusion and access to health for key and vulnerable populations.

Minister Steele urged that special attention is needed for the LAC countries in transition to ensure sustainable outcomes and that the Global Fund needs to provide appropriate support that is not only financial, but which requires a strong and capable regional team.

The Minister explained that to achieve the objective of the elimination of the three (3) diseases, there must be a re-examination of the policy of GDP per capita verses disease burden.

‘We need to give serious thought to the principle that as a country’s population progresses economically, it becomes more mobile and also risks greater exposure to HIV/AIDS in particular,’ stated Minister Steele, ‘let us acknowledge that we have a young population, for whom the perceived threat of HIV is not as frightening. If we do not address this we risk rolling back our gains’.

The Minister concluded his remarks by stating that the Region has a very high return on investment and is available to contribute best practices and experts through South-South cooperation that should be supported by the Global Fund.

PANCAP Launches the Local Capacity Initiative Project

Trinidad and Tobago— During and inception meeting 28-29 April, the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) launched its PEPFAR- and USAID-funded Local Capacity Initiative (LCI) Project at the University of the West Indies (UWI), HEU Centre for Health Economics, Sir George Alleyne Building – Auditorium, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago.

This three-year project seeks to build the capacity of one regional organisation and several local community service organisations (CSOs) that specifically focus their efforts on key populations.

Through the LCI, the organisations will become more sustainable as they continue to strive towards the overall goal of reducing the transmission of HIV in the Caribbean. PANCAP and the UWI HEU Centre for Health Economics will collaborate to implement the project. The project is aligned with the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework for HIV and AIDS (CRSF), 2014- 2018.

The meeting brought together regional organisations, which support the work of key populations through advocacy and policy. During the two days, participants developed their capacitybuilding initiatives and plans to create synergy between the LCI project and the PANCAP Justice for All programme, and they agreed on target countries. First, the meeting identified gaps in CSOs’ capacities that hinder achievement of their mandates. Next, it examined the
content, mechanisms and processes for building the capacity of CSOs in advocacy and policy work. Finally, it highlighted the key requirements for optimising the outcomes of the LCI project.

Through this initiative, PANCAP will receive funding to provide grants to local CSOs in countries funded by PEPFAR for activities such as policy and advocacy, programme implementation and/or building a financially diverse organisation. In addition, PANCAP will facilitate identifying and providing technical assistance to those CSOs receiving grants, as well as other regional bodies needing such assistance.

This project was informed by the epidemiology of HIV in the Caribbean, which has an HIV prevalence rate of one percent among adults, and is the second-hardest hit region in the world after sub-Saharan Africa. Among key populations, men who have sex with men (MSM) and sex workers (SWs) are disproportionately affected by HIV throughout the Caribbean region.

According to the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS (CRSF), 2014-2018, Caribbean MSM are five to 10 times more likely that the general population to be living with HIV. In the Dominican Republic, prevalence is 11 percent among MSM in contrast to less than one percent for the general population. In Jamaica, prevalence among MSM may be as much as ten times higher than for the general population, at an estimated 32 percent in 2012. Prevalence among MSM is similarly high in Trinidad and Tobago at 19 percent and Haiti at 18
percent. Because of high levels of stigma, however, survey data may not be representative of the entire MSM population.

By targeting programmes at these key populations, the LCI Project will contribute towards the regional goal of an overall reduction of HIV transmission rates.

In attendance at the meeting were: Ms Falicia Adams, Senior Programme Officer, Caribbean Network of People Living with HIV; Mr. Kip Beardsley , Senior Technical Advisor, Futures Group-Health Policy Project; Mr Ivanhoe Cruickshank, Project Director, Caribbean Vulnerable Communitites Coalition; Ms. Dona DaCosta Martinez, Executive Director, Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago; Dr Marcus Day, Director, Caribbean Drug and Alcohol Research Institute; Ms Miriam Edwards, Co-Chair, Caribbean Sex Workers Coalition; Dr Michel de Groulard, Regional Programme Coordinator, Centro de Orientacion e Investigacion Integral; Mr Lucien Desire Govaard, Representative, CariFlags; Ms. Marina Hilaire-Bartlett, Executive Director, Population Services International, Caribbean; Ms. Sandra Jones, Sub-regional Advisor, Pan American Health Organisation; Mr Collin Kirton, Senior Accountant, PANCAP Coordinating Unit; Ms Ann-Marie Libert-Defour, HIV/AIDS Coordinator, Ministry of Health,Trinidad and Tobago; Mr. Kenneth Morrison, Senior Technical Advisor, Futures Group-Health
Policy Project; Ms Yolanda Paul, Project Manager, UWI HIV and AIDS Response Programme; Mr. Vivian Rookhum, Consultant, PEPFAR; Mr. Kishore Shallow, CARICOM Youth Ambassador; Ms. Yolanda Simon, Key Populations Consultant; Mr Dereck Springer, Director, PANCAP Coordinating Unit; and Ms. Lisa Thompson, Programme Management Specialist, PEPFAR.

From the University of the West Indies HEU Health Economic Unit, Director Prof. Karl Theodore was joined by: Dr. Anton Cumberbatch, Public Health Specialist; Mrs Patricia Edwards-Wescott, Junior Research Fellow; Mrs Kimberly-Ann Gittens-Baynes, Junior Research Fellow; Dr. Althea La Foucade, Assistant Coordinator; Ms Christine Laptiste, Research Fellow; Mrs Valerie Matas, Research Techinician; Mr. Roger McLean, Research Fellow; Ms Charmaine Metivier, Junior Research Fellow; Ms Tanika Riley, Research Technician; and Ms Cheryl Theodore, Administrative Assistant.