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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.

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

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.

The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV & AIDS, PANCAP, will be represented at the Thirtieth Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD), by Director, Dereck Springer. The COHSOD meeting will be held from September 24 – 25 in Washington.

The PANCAP Director noted that his objective is to highlight the milestones and successes achieved in the response to HIV in the Region, while urging members of the COHSOD to advocate for the sustainability of these efforts in order to protect future generations and people living with the disease.

The milestones achieved in the Caribbean region through initiatives by PANCAP include a sharp regional reduction in HIV incidence in 2014 (UNAIDS 2015); declining AIDS-related deaths (UNAIDS 2015); antiretroviral coverage increased to 52% from less than 5% of the eligible population in 2001 (PAHO 2016); virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission in some countries, with Cuba becoming the first country in the world to have achieved this milestone, and several countries poised to do so; as well as substantial investments in strengthening health systems and in scaling up services for on-going care and support for people living with HIV.

‘It is important that these achievements be allowed to continue by investing in the sustainability of efforts regarding HIV prevention, treatment, stigma and discrimination,’ stated Mr. Springer.

The PANCAP Director further stated that it is crucial to strengthen efforts to respond to HIV since many International stakeholders have declared their objectives to end incidences of HIV infection. The United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS in June 2016 has adopted the ‘2016 Political Declaration on Ending AIDS: On the Fast-Track to accelerate the fight against HIV and to End the AIDS Epidemic by 2030’. This UN declaration corresponds with the principal message in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind.

‘There is also the challenge of funding and the need for policymakers within the Caribbean to commit to continued efforts to end HIV’, stated the PANCAP Director, ‘my objective is to bring to the attention of the COHSOD the need to urgently address the issue of funding since this can have the potential consequence of reversing the work done in the past 10 years in response to HIV’.

The Director concluded that he anticipates garnering the full support of the COHSOD in advocating for the continued funding of programs to address HIV prevention, treatment and discrimination.

The Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) promotes human and social development under Article 17 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.

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

The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV&AIDS, PANCAP, is hosting a three (3) – day workshop (November 22 -24) in Port of Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, on Knowledge Management and Best Practices for in excess of forty (40) participants consisting of leaders of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and National AIDS Programme (NAP) Managers from the Caribbean.

The workshop is meant to foster further collaboration between CSOs and NAP managers through a series of engaging knowledge management (KM) activities that will allow the participants to share their success stories and best practices with those that may be struggling in similar areas of their operation.

According to Director, PANCAP Coordinating Unit, Dereck Springer, the workshop intends to avoid routine training presentations and instead focus on bridging any gaps between CSOs and NAP managers by involving them in highly interactive knowledge sharing sessions. ‘The key word now in HIV/AIDS programme implementation is ‘sustainability’, stated the Director, ‘it is imperative that all CSOs and NAP Managers within the region be equipped for dealing with the on-going challenges of sustaining such programmes. PANCAP believes that a joint effort between CSOs and NAP managers can have a very positive effect on the approach to dealing with the sustainability challenge including overcoming funding and financial challenges. If these two (2) parties collaborate with a united effort, the opportunities for securing financial security and acquiring the human resources needed to maintain HIV/AIDS programmes can be realized’.

The PANCAP Director further stated ‘two of the main outcomes who hope to achieve is building the capacity of NAP Managers to more effectively advocate for the needs and requirements of CSOs at a National level and strengthening the abilities of CSOs to adequately garner national and international support for their activities and programmes in HIV/AIDS’.

The Director explained that he expects the most success from the ‘Knowledge Café’ activity which allows participants to engage in group discussions about topics affecting the implementation of programmes revolving around HIV/AIDS. The groups will be facilitated by a number of experts within the fields of HIV/AIDS programme implementation and knowledge management.

‘The Knowledge Café will provide an ideal environment for participants to learn about the successful programmes implemented by CSOs and NAP managers’ stated the PANCAP Director, ‘those participants who are lacking the capacity to create that success can generate a road map through discussing their weaknesses and areas in which they need help with those who have already crossed those hurdles’.

Knowledge Coordinator, PANCAP Coordinating Unit, Dr. Shanti Singh-Anthony explained that in addition to the Knowledge Café, another highlight of the workshop will be the ‘Peer Assist’ sessions. ‘These sessions will build on the discussions generated in the Knowledge Café but will allow for more intimate interaction between participants seeking help in particular areas and those who are willing to share their success stories,’ stated the Knowledge Coordinator, ‘the face-to-face discussion is ideal for participants who wish to enhance their abilities to effectively advocate for their HIV/AIDS causes and programmes’.

The workshop is being held at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad from Tuesday November 22 to Thursday, November 24. PANCAP will provide ‘live’ updates on the workshop, including interviews with facilitators and participants, via www.PANCAP.org as well as social media platforms available at www.facebook.com/pancapnetwork and www.twitter.com/pancaporg

All updates can be viewed as they are posted by using #KM4SUSTAINABILITY.

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

The Pan-Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) is hosting over 70 NAP managers, selected chief medical officers and permanent secretaries, as well as representatives of civil society organizations, and partners from across the Region for the Fifth Meeting of NAP Managers and key partners at the Office of the Parliament, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago from 6 – 10 March, 2017. The forum will focus on strengthening the regional HIV and AIDS response. The meeting is funded by the Global Fund and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

In his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the meeting, Hon. Terrence Deyalsingh, Minister of Health, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, called for a ‘recalibration of the messages being used to educate the public on HIV and AIDS. ‘Despite the millions of dollars invested in HIV and AIDS prevention, people are failing to change their risky behavior’, stated Minister Deyalsingh, ‘we have to get our men in particular to take responsibility if we are going to end HIV by 2020’.

The Minister further emphasized that since donor funding for the disease in the Caribbean is dwindling, programme implementers must be strategic and focus more efforts on behavior change. ‘We must reach our young people using the forms of media that occupy their time,’ stated the Minister, ‘if we are to truly end HIV by 2020, we must invest our efforts in creating real behavior change’.

In his address, Director of the PANCAP Coordinating Unit, Dereck Springer, stated that the meeting is occurring at an ideal time when the entire region is discussing the sustainability of the HIV and AIDS response in the Caribbean and it offers an opportunity to assess progress on current global strategies, and identify innovative ways to address gaps and strengthen the Caribbean regional HIV response.

‘I am pleased that the discussions will focus on identifying what gaps and challenges remain in the Region’s response to HIV and AIDS as prevention is high on the list of critical initiatives which must be resuscitated and sustained,’ stated the Director, ‘most pivotal to the discussion will be the next steps and recommendations for bridging these gaps. These next steps are of particular importance when one considers the regional challenge of reduced funding for HIV and AIDS programmes as well as the region-wide discussion on the need for Government supported programmes to fill the gaps which remain’.

The discussions with NAP managers and key partners will be conducted within the context of the Caribbean’s advancement in achieving the 90-90-90 targets with the overarching aim being an agreement on recommendations, which NAP managers and pivotal stakeholders can advocate at the level of policy implementation.
An update from development and regional partners, including The Global Fund, PEPFAR, UNAIDS, CARPHA, the University of the West Indies, Caribbean Med Lab Foundation and ‘Live Up’ on current and planned initiatives for the Caribbean region, including progress and support provided by development partners for countries and regional partners, is another feature of the agenda. There will also be an update on the PANCAP Local Capacity Initiative Project and the PANCAP-Johns Hopkins University Knowledge for Health Project.

‘I encourage all NAP managers and civil society partners to utilize the forum to formulate strategic next steps for strengthening the regional HIV and AIDS response,’ stated Mr. Springer, ‘the ideal outcome from the forum will be an agreement on policy recommendations and strategies for assisting countries to operationalize their responses to achieve the global and regional targets’.

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

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

The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) Regional Coordinating Mechanism (RCM) for the new Global Fund Project QRA-H-CARICOM, No. 1122 elected the Hon. Nicolette Henry, Minister within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Guyana and Prof. J. Peter Figueroa of The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus as the new Chair and Vice Chair respectively during the First Meeting of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism (RCM) which was convened on 4-6 April 2017 in Kingston, Jamaica.

The three-year grant, in the amount of US$5,075,234 began on 1 October 2016 and will end on 30 September 2019. The grant aims to contribute to the removal of barriers that impede access to HIV and sexual and reproductive health services for key populations, thereby promoting the achievement of regional HIV targets. The Sub-recipient is the PANCAP Coordinating Unit, Sub-sub-recipients are the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), while the collaborating partners are the Caribbean Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS (CRN+) and The University of the West Indies – Health Economics Unit (UWI-HEU).

The new Chair, Hon. Nicolette Henry expressed appreciation to the RCM for electing her and committed to an inclusive approach. She invited members to contribute to the work of the body and thanked the former Vice-chair Professor Donald Simeon, for his excellent leadership and guidance during his tenure.

Minister Henry has over 20 years of experience providing technical guidance and support required for the planning, implementation, and strengthening of HIV public health programmes. She served as a Programme Development and Public Health Specialist (HIV Prevention) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Global AIDs Programme Guyana. Minister Henry is a Ph.D. candidate in Public Health and is the holder of a Master of Public Health and a Degree in Pharmacy.

The new Vice Chair, Professor J. Peter Figueroa stated that it was an honour and privilege to serve in this capacity and committed to work with the Chair and all members to achieve the goals of the Global Fund grant. Dr. Figueroa is Professor of Public Health, Epidemiology and HIV and AIDS at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus where he has developed a doctorate programme in public health. He was formerly the Chief Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health of Jamaica and for many years the Chief Epidemiologist and Director of the National HIV/STI Programme in Jamaica. He is also a Scientific Secretary of the Caribbean Health Research Council and the former Chair of the Priority Areas Coordinating Committee (PACC) and Vice Chair of the Executive Board of PANCAP.

In addition to the election of the new Chair and Vice Chair, the RCM conducted an orientation of members on governance, oversight functions, management of conflicts of interest, and internal and external communication as well as a reviewing and endorsing of its oversight role and communications plan.
The meeting received a Status Report on the implementation of the new PANCAP Global Fund grant which highlighted the programmatic achievements, financial disbursements and expenditures as at 31 March 2017 and provided strategic guidance to the Principal Recipient, CARICOM Secretariat, on how to achieve the goals of the grant.

Editor’s Notes

Voting members of the RCM include Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) of Belize, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Regional Coordinating Mechanism (OECS RCM), The University of the West Indies (UWI), Pan Caribbean Business Coalition, Caribbean (PCBC), Conference of Churches (CCC), representatives of key population groups; CARICOM Youth Ambassadors Corp. (CYA), Caribbean Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS (CRN+), Caribbean Forum for Liberation and Acceptance of Genders and Sexualities (CariFLAGS), Caribbean Sex Work Coalition (CSWC) and International Organization for Migration (IOM). Non-voting members represent the US President’s Emergency (PEPFAR), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), PANCAP Coordinating Unit (PCU) and the RCM Secretariat.

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

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) On Wednesday, 20 November 2013, at the Princess Hotel, Providence, Guyana, a cross–section of stakeholders, including: parliamentarians; the judiciary, faith-based organisations; the private sector; civil society organisations; and youth Continue reading “PANCAP Holds Stigma and Discrimination Consultations” →