Launched: Caribbean Roadmap for Adolescent and Youth Health
Image: Participants of the Caribbean Congress on Adolescent and Youth Health (CCAYH), November 2019
Caribbean youth advocates have called for action on areas of priority for their peers with the launch of the Caribbean Roadmap for Adolescent and Youth Health: Championing Our Wealth: Promoting the Health and Well-Being of Adolescents and Youth in the Caribbean.
Approximately two hundred Youth congress participants, including policymakers, international and regional partners were involved in three days of discussion in November 2019, which culminated with the launch of the Roadmap on Monday 19 October 2020. The launch showcased the involvement of young advocates in the design, moderation and content of the event. It was hosted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Dr Frank Anthony, Minister of Health (Guyana), officially launched the Roadmap and commended the young people and partners for the collective wisdom encapsulated in the Roadmap. “I want to thank PAHO/WHO, CARICOM and UN Partners for their leadership in this process. I urge you to continue the advocacy for political prioritisation and the integration of these recommendations into national development plans. While COVID-19 compounds the challenges before us, we have an opportunity of using this Roadmap to usher future generations into a cleaner and healthier Caribbean. Can we do it? Yes, we can!” stated Dr Anthony.
Nothing for us, without us!
Five Caribbean youth advocates including Pierre Cooke Jnr., Christopher Gilkes, Michelle Belfor, Jean Sano Santana and Renatta Langlais, took part in the launch and focused their discussions on the four tracks contained in the Roadmap: mental health, substance use, violence and injuries; sexual and reproductive health and rights, HIV and STI; nutrition, physical activity, sports and youth development; and climate change and the environment.
The purpose of the Roadmap is to provide strategic guidance on actions Member States should take to address adolescent health in their local setting
WHAT IS PANCAP?
PANCAP is a Caribbean regional partnership of governments, regional civil society organisations, regional institutions and organisations, bilateral and multilateral agencies and contributing donor partners established on 14 February 2001. PANCAP provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, and coordinates the response through the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS to maximise efficient use of resources and increase impact, mobilise resources and build the capacity of partners.
What are the Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026 targets and commitments?
If targets and commitments in the strategy are achieved:
- The number of people who newly acquire HIV will decrease from 1.7 million in 2019 to less than 370 000 by 2025
- The number of people dying from AIDS-related illnesses will decrease from 690 000 in 2019 to less than 250 000 in 2025.
- The goal of eliminating new HIV infections among children will see the number of new HIV infections drop from 150,000 in 2019 to less than 22,000 in 2025.
What are the 95-95-95 Targets for ending AIDS?
- 95% of People Living with HIV know their HIV status;
- 95% of people who know their status on treatment; and
- 95% of people on treatment with suppressed viral loads.
HELPFUL LINKS:
Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026, End Inequalities, End AIDS
https://pancap.org/pancap-documents/global-aids-strategy-2021-2026-end-inequalities-end-aids/
Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS (CRSF) 2019-2025
https://pancap.org/pancap-documents/caribbean-regional-strategic-framework-2019-2025/