The evaluation of the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework (CRSF) 2014-2018 was completed and was accepted by the Priority Areas Coordinating Committee (PACC) and the Executive Board earlier this month. Among other findings, the evaluation revealed that while the Caribbean has made progress in responding to the HIV epidemic, the impact of the prevention response has been inadequate, particularly among key populations.

The evaluation reinforced the critical need for member states to invest in activities to achieve prevention and the UNAIDS 90-90-90 Targets. The Board called upon countries and the Partnership to renew efforts to build capacity and work together to achieve the targets. Members noted the legal judgments in Caribbean courts affirming human rights arising from litigation and called on countries not to wait on litigation but to make amendments to laws to recognize the rights of key populations and the rights of all to access sexual and reproductive health services. The board also noted that while tens of thousands of cases of HIV infections have been prevented there is a critical need to significantly reduce new infections. This requires countries to promote age-appropriate sexual education and skills and extend sexual reproductive health services to all youth and key populations. Members recommended the introduction of innovative prevention approaches and the improvement of prevention services to ensure greater impact in reducing new HIV infections.

The Board also called on the PACC to develop a new CRSF for the period 2019 to 2023 and agreed on the following strategic priority areas:

• An Enabling Environment
• Prevention of HIV Transmission
• Care, Treatment and Support
• Integrate HIV into Health and Socioeconomic Development
• Sustainability
• Strategic Information, Monitoring and Evaluation and Research.

The evaluation also reinforced the critical need for PANCAP to accelerate the implementation of its Resource Mobilization Strategy 2018-2020 to buffer member states as they fully transition to domestic resources for HIV. We need to work with member states to get more people to know their HIV status, retain more people on treatment and get more people virally suppressed. We must intensify our efforts to achieve the 90-90-90 Targets by the end of 2020.

The PANCAP Advisory Group on Resource Mobilization will meet in the middle of February to discuss and agree on strategies for increasing our donor base including the private sector. The Group will also explore how to stimulate creative and innovative fundraising that would be developed and packaged in a very competitive way to attract potential funders/sponsors without compromising the strategic interests of PANCAP. We look forward to using the innovative strategies agreed to accelerate the implementation of the Resource Mobilization Strategy 2018-2020.