Dr Rosmond Adams, Director, PANCAP, speaking at the PANCAP Toolkit for Social Contracting launch, called on governments and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to work together harmoniously to advance the Caribbean’s efforts towards ending AIDS by 2030.

Dr Adams highlighted that COVID-19 has further exacerbated the challenges faced by national and regional programmes. “If we are to maintain the gains and sustain the response, we will have to ensure that all hands are on board moving forward”, stated the Director.

PANCAP launched its toolkit on Social Contracting last week. The toolkit presents a step-by-step approach to guide decision-makers in the implementation of Social Contracting. The toolkit is built on the principles of commitment, meaningful participation of all partners, transparency, fairness and equity, accountability and independence.

The toolkit will allow countries to assess where they are along the process and provide guidance to move to the next steps. For countries that are in the initial stages or are just discussing social contracting, the toolkit will provide advice on the critical areas for consideration, such as the legal and regulatory framework, costing and the standardized contractual mechanism that must be put in place.

Dr Adams noted that effective rollout of social contracting would require planning, ongoing advocacy, and collaboration between government and CSOs as they build partnerships to deliver HIV services. This partnership must be grounded in trust, transparency, accountability, and efficiency geared toward assisting government in implementing policies and supporting national goals as outlined in their National Strategic Plans.

The Director urged Governments to continue working with CSOs to develop, finalize, and approve country roadmaps for social contracting and commit to implementing activities outlined in the roadmaps.  These include revisions of current legislative and normative documents and to set aside funding to support social contracting for CSO services for key populations.

He called on donors to support government and CSOs to implement social contracting and provide technical assistance for implementation.

He also encouraged CSOs to advocate for funding for government social contracting and highlighted the importance of cooperation with the government to implement and ensure accountability.