The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat is pleased to inform that during the Forty-Fifth Meeting of the Council of Human and Social Development (COHSOD) on Health, held recently in Washington D.C., Mr. Dereck Springer, a citizen of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, was appointed to serve as the Board Member for the Latin America and the Caribbean Constituency of the Global Fund Board for the period 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2025.

Mr. Dereck Springer is an Independent Consultant and a former Director of the PANCAP Coordinating Unit (PCU), CARICOM Secretariat. He is a public health and behavioral specialist with 30 years of experience in the health sector, primarily in HIV, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Mental Health. Mr. Springer began his public health career as a Volunteer Counsellor at the Genito-Urinary Medicine Clinic, Guyana. His extensive experience in policy, program management and implementation at the national and regional levels has been facilitated by his work with civil society, government, regional and international development partners.

He served as Senior Advisor for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Global AIDS Program Guyana, UNAIDS’ Focal Point Guyana and National Coordinator of Voluntary Counselling and Testing for the Ministry of Health. He is a former Chair of the Implementer Group of the Global Fund Board and Communications and Governance Focal Points for the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) delegation to the Global Fund Board and was designated Board Member for the Forty-ninth Meeting of the Global Fund Board held in Hanoi, Vietnam in May 2023.

Mr. Springer provided transformational leadership for institutionalizing the Implementer Group of the Global Fund Board, brokered a harmonious relationship with the Donor Group and the Global Fund Secretariat, and successfully advocated for the Inspector General’s review and recommendation for increased funding for Implementer constituencies and provision of annual funding to support the Implementer Leadership and their engagement with the Board, committees, and constituencies while successfully advocating for continued Global Fund resources for Latin America and the Caribbean.