Archives: Media Releases

Message from the Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque on the occasion of World AIDS Day 2017

The Caribbean Community joins the rest of the world in observing World AIDS Day 2017.

Through its specialised agency, the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the Community has been directly engaged with issues relating to this disease since 2001. The importance of a healthy population was underscored by our Heads of Government when in the Nassau Declaration of that same year, they asserted that the “Health of the Region is the Wealth of the Region”. In preserving that wealth, we must be prepared to engage with any threat that diminishes it.

In that regard, the Region has made significant strides in its efforts to reduce the incidence of HIV and AIDS. For example today six new countries will be certified as having achieved the target for elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Saint Kitts and Nevis. That is just the latest evidence that the goals are attainable particularly with the requisite support from our international partners.

Unfortunately, the Caribbean remains one of the most affected regions with serious concern about the increasing prevalence among our youth. It is crucial, therefore for us to maintain and increase our efforts if we are to reverse that trend and preserve the gains that we have made.

The on-going collaboration between PANCAP and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is a key element as we seek to fulfil the goal of expanding access to quality treatment, care and support of people living with HIV and Aids.

To make this year’s observance of World Aids Day meaningful, let us commit ourselves today to the vision of an AIDS-Free Caribbean.

Remarks by the Director of PANCAP – Opening Ceremony for the Caribbean Judicial Dialogue

Hon Mr. Justice Peter Jamadar, Chair, Trinidad and Tobago Judicial Education Institute, Hon Mr. Justice Ivor Archie, Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago, Hon Dame Janice Pereira, Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Hon Mr. Justice Dennis Morrison, President of the Court of Appeal of Jamaica, Judges of Appeal, High Court and Supreme Court Judges, Parish Judges and Magistrates, Professor Rose Marie Bell Antoine, Faculty of Law, The UWI St Augustine Campus. I bring you greetings on behalf of the Chair of PANCAP, The Right Honourble Timothy Harris, Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Lead Head with Responsibility for Human Resources, Health and HIV within the CARICOM Quaisi Cabinet, and Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community.

The Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) fully welcomes this Caribbean Judicial Dialogue that is consistent with PANCAP’s Justice for All programme which establishes human rights as a priority of the regional response through a Pan Caribbean Declaration and Roadmap. The programme is aimed at reducing stigma, eliminating discrimination and strengthening rights-based legislative frameworks through the reform of laws that are incompatible with international commitments. PANCAP recognises the value of this dialogue given the importance of judicial awareness of implicit bias in relation to key population groups as well as the role that our legal infrastructure plays in facilitating access to justice by such populations.

We will be observing World AIDS Day tomorrow, December 1st, under the theme Right to Health. The universal and undeniable right to health provides everyone with the right to realize the highest attainable standard of health without stigma or discrimination. The Partnership believes that only by placing human rights at the centre of global health can we ensure that health care is accessible, acceptable, available and of good quality for everyone, leaving no one behind. I am reminded of Justice Sir Dennis Byron’s feature address at the PANCAP Relaunch Champions for Change in September 2017, in which he contended that law is a determinant of health. In this context, you the members of the judiciary are best placed to facilitate the right to health of all individuals, and particularly that of key populations, by creating a more favourable climate for those most vulnerable to HIV.

I wish you a very fruitful dialogue. Thank you

PANCAP Directors’ Message on the occasion of 2017 World AIDS Day Observance

I salute UNAIDS’ choice of the World AIDS Day theme – ‘Right to Health’. This theme is even more relevant today since advances in treatment have brought HIV into the realm of chronic diseases as persons living with HIV are now having to deal with other chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. These developments, therefore, warrant a comprehensive approach to delivering health care to persons living with HIV.

The universal and undeniable right to health provides everyone with the right to realize the highest attainable standard of health without discrimination or stigma. UNAIDS acknowledges that only by placing human rights at the centre of global health can we ensure that health care is accessible, acceptable, available and of good quality for everyone, leaving no one behind.

The Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) has long recognised the critical need to situate access to health within a human rights framework. This is reflected in our Justice for All programme which focuses on affirming human rights and reducing stigma and discrimination that hinder people living with HIV and other key population groups’ access to health care services.

PANCAP has recently finalised its Regional Advocacy Strategy and five-year Implementation Plan for a coordinated and streamlined approach for systems advocacy, access to justice and redress, community and health services and financing and sustainability that will assist in creating an enabling environment for vulnerable groups to access HIV prevention and treatment without the fear of stigma and discrimination. A PANCAP message has been developed for each strategy. Included in these messages is the Right to Health.

The UNAIDS theme also acknowledges that the Sustainable Development Goals, underpinned by human rights, provide a framework to leverage opportunities between the right to health and other rights, including the right to education, equality, non-discrimination, access to justice, privacy and food.

Our regional Partnership has collectively committed to be guided by our Regional Advocacy Strategy, the framework for advancing our advocacy efforts to work toward creating an enabling environment for people living with HIV and key populations to realize the highest attainable standard of health without stigma or discrimination. Like you, they too have a right to health.

PAHO/WHO, UNAIDS call for stepping up HIV prevention efforts and offering all available options to prevent new infections

Washington, DC, November 29, 2017 (PAHO/WHO) — A new report from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for the Americas of WHO, and UNAIDS says that expanding access to all HIV prevention options that are now available would reduce the number of new cases of HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean, which since 2010 has remained at 120,000 every year.

Launched on the eve of World AIDS Day, the report, HIV Prevention in the Spotlight – An Analysis from the Perspective of the Health Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean, analyzes progress made and challenges facing health systems in preventing HIV transmission.

“We have seen important progress in the fight against AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean, with major reductions in childhood infections, improved treatment and fewer deaths from AIDS. But we have not yet seen the same success in terms of reducing new cases in adults,” said PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne. “Preventing new infections requires intensifying efforts and ensuring that the most vulnerable people have access to all options and new technologies in a discrimination-free environment.”

The report advocates what is known as the combination prevention approach, which is based on scientific evidence, respect for human rights and non-discrimination, and which includes three elements: offering a comprehensive package of biomedical interventions to users, promotion of healthy behaviors, and establishment of enabling environments that facilitate access to and use of prevention measures.

According to the report and UNAIDS data, the majority (64%) of new HIV cases occur in gays and other men who have sex with men, in sex workers and their clients, in transgender women, in people who inject themselves drugs, and in couples belonging to those key population groups. In addition, one-third of new infections occur in young people aged 15 to 24.

“Reducing new HIV infections among key population groups and the most vulnerable, including women and young people, will require specific high-impact HIV prevention actions, access to evidence, treatment for all, and joint actions against discrimination,” said UNAIDS Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean César Núñez. He added that it is equally important to have “an unwavering commitment to respect, gender equality, protection and the promotion of human rights, including the right to health.”
Offering a range of prevention methods

Currently, there are many scientifically proven prevention options that health services can offer to help people prevent HIV infection and protect their health. These measures include new options such as self-administered HIV testing, which can be done at home, and the availability of HIV testing in places other than health centers. In Latin America, 2 in 10 people with HIV and 4 in 10 in the Caribbean do not know they have the virus, which represents an improvement over last year. Early diagnosis improves the quality of life of people with HIV and also helps prevent new infections.

Other recommendations include providing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), to people at high risk of contracting HIV and offering post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in emergency situations, such as when someone has sex with a partner without knowing that person’s HIV status. Although the Region of the Americas pioneered early research that supported WHO’s 2015 recommendation to adopt PrEP, only three of the region’s countries currently offer pre-exposure prophylaxis in their public health service.

The report also advocates distribution of condoms and lubricants, offering syphilis testing at the same time as HIV testing, and providing universal access to treatment, which significantly improves the health of people with HIV while also reducing the risk that they will infect their partners. The report also recommends the promotion of peer-led community outreach activities and providing health information and education.
The publication warns against dependence on international funding for prevention actions (such as peer education and provision of condoms and tests by NGOs) for key population groups, while also highlighting the decisive role that civil society can play in making the HIV response more effective, particularly in the area of prevention.

The report calls on governments, civil society and international organizations to work together in partnerships to accelerate the introduction of new prevention technologies, expand the availability of prevention options and ensure universal access to HIV prevention services to reduce new infections and end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

Elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis in the Caribbean

On December 1st, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and St. Kitts and Nevis will receive validation from WHO for having eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. Experts from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNAIDS, PANCAP/CARICOM and the Regional Validation Committee, along with the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Timothy Harris, will announce this achievement and describe efforts made to reach it, in addition to progress at the regional level. Participants will include health ministers and other high-level officials from the honoured islands.

After Cuba in 2015, this group of six countries and territories are the second in the Region of the Americas to receive this recognition. Until now, only two other countries in the world, Thailand and Belarus, have received WHO validation for dual elimination, while Armenia and the Republic of Moldova achieved global elimination goals for mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and syphilis, respectively.

The ceremony will take place at 4:00 p.m. EST Time in St. Kitts Marriot Resort and will be transmitted live on livestream.com/pahotv/EMTCT
The AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean 2016 *
• An estimated 310,000 (280,000-350,000) people were living with HIV in the Caribbean as of 2016
• Approximately 18,000 (15,000-22,000) new HIV infections occurred in the region.
• Some 9,400 (7,300-12,000) people died from AIDS-related illnesses in the Caribbean.
• Between 2010 and 2016, the number of AIDS-related deaths in the region declined 28%.
• Treatment coverage reached 52% (41% -60%) of all people living with HIV in the Caribbean.
• Fewer than 1,000 new HIV infections occurred in children in the Caribbean.
* UNAIDS data: www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/UNAIDS_FactSheet_en.pdf

Click here for the 2017 World AIDS Day Infographic.

PAHO works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of people throughout the region. Founded in 1902, PAHO is the world’s oldest international public health agency. It serves as Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO) and is the specialized health agency of the inter-American system.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Links

HIV Prevention in the Spotlight – An Analysis from the Perspective of the Health Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean
http://iris.paho.org/xmlui/handle/123456789/34381
World AIDS Day 2017 (PAHO):
www.paho.org/world-aids-day
World AIDS Day 2017 (UNAIDS)
www.unaids.org/en/resources/campaigns/right-to-health

Contacts
PAHO/WHO
Leticia Linn,  Tel. + 1 202 974 3440, Mobile: +1 202 701 4005, Email:  linnl@paho.org; Sebastián Oliel, Tel: +1 202 974 3459, Mobile: +1 202 316 5679, Email: oliels@paho.org; Daniel Epstein, Tel. +1 202 974 3579, Email:  epsteind@paho.org. PAHO/WHO: www.paho.org

UNAIDS
Michela Polesana, Tel. + 507 3014626 Mobile: + 507 69494371 Email: polesanam@unaids.org; Daniel De Castro, Tel: +55 61 3038-9221, Mobile: +55 61 99304-2654, Email: decastrod@unaids.org; Cedriann Martin, Tel: + 1 876 396-7610, Email: martinc@unaids.org

Starting ART immediately after HIV diagnosis cuts mortality risk by two-thirds for people with high CD4 cell counts

People with a high CD4 cell count who start antiretroviral therapy (ART) immediately after diagnosis with HIV cut their 12-month mortality risk by two-thirds, according to research conducted in China and published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The retrospective study involved over 35,000 people who were newly diagnosed with HIV between 2012 and 2014. All had a CD4 cell count above 500 cells/mm3. Over 12 months of follow-up, individuals who started antiretrovirals within 30 days of their diagnosis had a 63% reduction in their mortality risk compared to people who remained antiretroviral-naïve. Delayed treatment (initiation after 30 days of diagnosis) also reduced mortality, but only by 26%.

“Our results demonstrate that PLWH [people living with HIV] with a CD4 cell count > 500 cells/mm3 who initiated ART within 30 days of diagnosis…experienced a 63% decrease in mortality,” write the investigators. “Additional risk factors for mortality in this study were older age, being male, having lesser education, and becoming infected via injection drug use or heterosexual contact.”

Since 2015, the World Health Organization has recommended that all people with HIV should take antiretroviral therapy, regardless of CD4 cell count. This is because research has proved that treatment, even at high CD4 cell counts, reduces the risk of illness and death. Moreover, people taking treatment who have an undetectable viral load have an effectively zero risk of transmitting HIV to their sexual partners.

Investigators in China wanted to see if immediate ART cut the mortality risk for people with a high CD4 cell count (above 500 cells/mm3) at the time of their diagnosis. They, therefore, designed a retrospective study involving approximately 35,500 adults newly diagnosed with HIV between 2012 and 2014. All had a CD4 cell count above 500 cells/mm3 and were followed for 12 months after their diagnosis. Study participants were divided into three groups according to their use of HIV therapy:

Immediate ART: initiation within 30 days of diagnosis.
Deferred ART: initiation more than 30 days after diagnosis.
No ART: no HIV treatment.

The researchers hypothesised that immediate ART would be associated with a reduced risk of mortality.

The participants had a median age of 32 years, 75% were male, 64% had a primary education or less, 39% were married, 60% acquired HIV through heterosexual contact. Median baseline CD4 cell count was 616 cells/mm3.

ART was started within 30 days of diagnosis by 5% of the cohort. A further 16% initiated therapy more than 30 days after diagnosis and the remaining people remained ART naïve.

A total of 790 (2% of the cohort) deaths were documented over 12 months of follow-up, a mortality rate of 2.31 per 100 person-years.

There were 19 deaths in the immediate ART group, a mortality rate of 1.04 per 100 person-years. A total of 58 deaths occurred in the deferred ART group, a mortality rate of 2.25 per 100 person-years. The remaining 713 deaths were documented in the treatment-naïve group, a mortality rate of 2.39 per 100 person-years.

Three-quarters of the deaths were attributed to non-AIDS-related causes. The most common non-AIDS-related cause of death was cardiovascular disease (37%).

Compared to the ART-naïve group, immediate ART provided strong protection against mortality (aHR = 0.37, p < 0.001). Delayed ART also provided modest protection against mortality (aHR = 0.74, p = 0.04).

“In addition to the direct benefit of ART for survival, it is also likely that regular follow up and comprehensive care services associated with ART use contributed to the decreased mortality observed,” suggest the investigators. “After ART initiation, patients entered into the stable care system and received multidisciplinary services including regular medical visits as well as psychosocial support.”

Other factors associated with death were older age (under 50 years vs over 50 years, aHR = 2.03; p < 0.001), being male (aHR = 1.90; p < 0.001), having only a primary education or less (aHR = 1.85; p < 0.001), infection with HIV via heterosexual contact (aHR = 4.16, p < 0.001) or injecting drug use (aHR = 5.07; p < 0.001).

“Our results highlight the significant negative impact of delays in ART initiation in a real-world setting in China,” conclude the authors. “Our results support the urgent need to increase the number of PLWH identified early, and started on effective, long-term ART immediately, as predicted by the UN 90-90-90 targets.”

Treat all: what the average person needs to know

Fact: Treat All policies could help avert more than 21 million deaths and 28 million new infections by 2030. 

In September 2015, the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a new policy which stated that anyone infected with HIV should begin antiretroviral treatment as soon after diagnosis as possible. With its “treat-all” recommendation, WHO removed all limitations on eligibility for antiretroviral therapy (ART) among people living with HIV; all populations and age groups are now eligible for treatment.

The expanded use of antiretroviral treatment is supported by recent findings from clinical trials confirming that early use of ART keeps people living with HIV alive, healthier and reduces the risk of transmitting the virus to partners.

WHO now also recommends that people at “substantial” risk of HIV should be offered preventive antiretroviral treatment. This new recommendation builds on 2014 WHO guidance to offer a combination of antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV acquisition, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), for men who have sex with men. Following further evidence of the effectiveness and acceptability of PrEP, WHO has now broadened this recommendation to support the offer of PrEP to other population groups at significant HIV risk. PrEP should be seen as an additional prevention choice based on a comprehensive package of services, including HIV testing, counselling and support, and access to condoms and safe injection equipment.

New recommendations on early use of ART and expanded offer of PrEP are contained in WHO’s “Guideline on when to start antiretroviral therapy and on pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV.” The new guideline stresses that, in order to effectively implement the recommendations, countries will need to ensure that testing and treatment for HIV infection are readily available and that those undergoing treatment are supported to adhere to recommended regimens and are retained in care.

The recommendations were developed as part of a comprehensive update of the “WHO consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for preventing and treating HIV infection”.

Based on the new recommendations, the number of people eligible for antiretroviral treatment increases from 28 million to all 37 million people who currently live with HIV globally. Expanding access to treatment is at the heart of the set of targets for 2020 with the aim to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. These targets include 90% of people living with HIV being aware of their HIV infection, 90% of those receiving antiretroviral treatment, and 90% of people on ART having no detectable virus in their blood.

According to UNAIDS estimates, expanding ART to all people living with HIV and expanding prevention choices can help avert 21 million AIDS-related deaths and 28 million new infections by 2030.

CLICK HERE for the Guideline on when to start antiretroviral therapy and on pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV. 

Martha Carrillo is a lesbian women engaged in HIV work in Belize.

Global LGBTIQ advocates will once again convene this December at OutRight’s annual Advocacy Week in New York City. The ten-day event will have advocates amass for trainings and meetings with U.N. representatives to discuss global LGBTIQ issues. This invaluable collaboration between advocates will culminate at OutSummit, the capstone meeting where attendees are invited to discuss unique social and political issues that LGBTIQ people face in a diverse range of nations.

Martha Carrillo is a lesbian women engaged in HIV work in Belize, and Latin America and the Caribbean more broadly. She was the co-founder of the first ever NGO providing support to persons living with HIV, in particular men who have sex with men. She has also served as the Director of the National AIDS Commission and owns her own consultancy company providing technical assistance in the areas of human rights, advocacy training, and capacity building for key affected populations. She is the founder of an online support/social group for lesbians and bi women called W4W Belize (women4women) and a Counseling Psychologist by profession.

OutRight Magazine interviewed Martha on what led her to become an advocate for LGBTIQ rights and her current work in the Caribbean.

OutRight: What experiences first made you aware of the need to advocate for LGBTIQ rights? How did you first get involved with your earliest experiences and current organization?

Martha: Being a lesbian in a highly discriminatory society such as the one I grew up in was an everyday challenge. Coming to the realization that I was a lesbian as a young high school teacher (20yrs), I felt guilty and dirty among young persons who were looking up to me as a role model. When I went away to study in the US my whole life changed. I fell into a society where the topic of being gay was not a taboo. I was able to find myself, explore my sexuality and form important LGBTI networks. Upon returning to Belize I promised that I would be visible and available to help all young LGBTI persons in their coming out process so that they would know that our reality in Belize was based on ignorance, lack of exposure and a violation of our human rights.

OutRight: How have global politics impacted your work?

Martha: As a psychologist and an HIV consultant, I have had the opportunity to see HIV and its impact on our community from different perspectives including support services, addressing prevention for affected populations like men who have sex with men (MSM), addressing stigma and discrimination, human rights and creating an enabling environment. I have regional and global exposure to platforms that have educated, inspired and moved me to do as much as I can as a consultant, activist and advocate for the LGBTI community to decrease their vulnerabilities to the epidemic.

OutRight: Why is it important to be a part of advocacy week and how will that impact the work that you will do at home?

Martha: Every opportunity to learn and network is an important opportunity. I have heard from other LGBTQI colleagues and peers of their experience in Advocacy Week and have seen their growth because of this process. I want and need that for myself so that I may be better equipped and greater inspired to continue my work.

OutRight: What are some local social or political obstacles you and your organization currently face?

Martha: High-level institutionalized stigma and discrimination; high level of self-stigma among the community itself; high level of resistance and opposition from fundamentalist churches.

Stakeholders meet to develop National HIV and AIDS Policy

The National AIDS Coordinating Committee (NACC), Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, hosted an HIV Policy Development Workshop. The NACC has been mandated by Cabinet to develop a National HIV Policy and to provide guidance and recommendations on other sectoral policies. The United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the United States Agency International Development (USAID) and Health, Finance and Governance (HFG) have been providing financial and technical assistance with the development of the National HIV and AIDS Policy for Trinidad and Tobago.

USAID consultant attached to the HFG, Ms Sarah Insanally began focus groups and key informant consultations in August and was the facilitator of the HIV Policy Development Workshop convened on 17 November.

The aim of the workshop was to engage Stakeholders from Government, Civil Society, Private Sector, Academia and Unions through discussions and consultations around key thematic areas in the national HIV and AIDS Policy such as:
1. Governance, leadership and coordination
2. Sustainability and financing
3. Treatment
4. Prevention
5. Strategic Information

The Consultant also engaged with stakeholders from the NGO and health and social sector in Tobago. The information and contributions obtained from this workshop and from other meetings with stakeholders on both islands would be used to produce the first draft of the National HIV and AIDS Policy which would be subjected to further review by the NACC and as well as other stakeholders before being submitted to Cabinet for approval as a Green Paper for public consultations.

CRN+ calls for more involvement of PLHIV at LAC III

The Third Latin American and Caribbean Forum on Sustainability of the HIV Response (LAC III), “Road to Ending AIDS in LAC: Towards Sustainable Regional Fast Track Targets” was held in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from 6 to 8 November 2017.

The forum was organized as a collaborative effort by the Government of Haiti, in coordination with the Horizontal Technical Cooperation Group (GCTH), the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the Minister of Health of Brazil, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Pan American Health Organization, the Global Fund Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the Latin American Network of People Living with HIV (REDLA+) and the Caribbean Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS (CRN+).

As part of civil society representation, CRN+ made a poster presentation by the Interim Secretary, Mr Devon Gabourel, which focused mainly on the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV in Ending AIDS.  The CRN+ Interim Chair, Mr Winfield Tannis-Abbott ended the forum with some closing remarks that resonated with participants.  He called for the scale-up of the Greater Involvement of People living with HIV (GIPA), ensuring support and full involvement and ownership by networks and communities of people living with HIV and the investment in age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education and youth-friendly services for in-school, out-of-school and at-risk youth.

The overall objectives of the third forum were to review the progress and challenges towards meeting international and national targets; to discuss strategies to sustain the response in the medium and long-term including reflection on how to improve health systems effectiveness, efficiency and appropriate resource allocations; and to identify recommendations on how to close the resource gaps, specifically by increasing domestic investments.

Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA!)

PANCAP’s Youth Advisor, Dr Astel Collins (Hon.), recently represented PANCAP at a workshop aimed at building capacity for the implementation of the Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA!) guidance.  The workshop was implemented by PAHO/WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF.  The purpose of the workshop was to assist governments in deciding what they plan to do – and how they plan to do it – as they respond to the health needs of adolescents in their countries. The AA-HA! is intended as a reference document for national-level policy makers and programme managers to provide them with step-by-step guidance for setting their national priorities, and translation of these priorities into plans and programmes. The training focused on how to conduct a proper needs assessment, how to do a landscape analysis, how to set national priorities, how to identify key areas for programming and then monitoring and evaluation.

Participants of AA-HA!

The discussion at the workshop focused on adolescents being central to the overall success of the 2030 Agenda. Furthermore, the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children and Adolescents’ Health is leading the way in articulating the actions needed to capitalise on existing achievements from the MDGs, operationalise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and assure that the unfinished MDG agenda is addressed within one generation. Therefore, investing in adolescents brings a triple benefit: 1) healthy adolescents now; 2) Healthy adults in the future and 3) healthy future generations. Moreover, any nation that successfully implements the AA-HA! guidance to develop their adolescent will have a reduction of preventable adolescent and youth morbidity and mortality, their risk factors and determinants, and the risk factors for premature adult mortality. As well as the promotion of positive adolescent and youth health and development.

PANCAP Youth Advisor, Dr Astell Collins

Dr Collins reported that the team from Guyana will create a multi-sectoral, multi-agency steering committee and appoint a focal point which is likely to be from the Ministry of Public Health and then subsequently create a work plan for the AA-HA strategy development in Guyana. The first meeting is scheduled to be held in January 2018.