Image: Director of PANCAP, Mr. Dereck Springer 

Tuesday, 9 October 2018 (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), with funding from the CARIFORUM 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Programme of Support for Wider Caribbean Cooperation will host the Regional Meeting for Advancing Recommendations for Addressing Gaps in the Human Rights Response under the PANCAP Justice For All Programme in Kingston, Jamaica on 30 and 31 October 2018.

The meeting will be used to disseminate the findings of an assessment of the human rights situation in the Caribbean, including a status update, gaps, and opportunities, as well as bottlenecks with regard to HIV-related stigma and discrimination and the broader issues of human rights affecting key population groups.

The meeting will also be used to validate the findings of the assessment, reach consensus on the key priorities at the regional level, and obtain stakeholders’ commitments for addressing the gaps for achieving justice for all.

Participants include selected policymakers from Ministries of Justice, Parliamentary Committees on Social Protection, Chief Medical Officers, Faith Leaders, Civil Society, People Living with HIV, Key Populations including Men who have sex with men, Sex workers, Transgender representatives, youth, and National AIDS Programme Managers representing Member States.

In an invited comment, Director of PANCAP, Mr. Dereck Springer said that the assessment provides the Region with a comprehensive report on the policy and legislative barriers that need to be overcome if the Caribbean is to achieve the end of AIDS by 2030.

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What is PANCAP?

PANCAP is a Caribbean regional partnership of governments, regional civil society organizations, regional institutions and organizations, bilateral and multilateral agencies and contributing donor partners which was established on 14 February 2001. PANCAP provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, coordinates the response through the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS to maximize efficient use of resources and increase impact, mobilizes resources and build the capacity of partners.

– 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Programme of Support for Wider Caribbean Cooperation

Under the 10th (EDF) Programme of Support for Wider Caribbean Cooperation, PANCAP will strengthen coordination on human rights issues in keeping with the Justice For all Roadmap through the HIV and AIDS Thematic Task Force in CARIFORUM.

– CARIFORUM

CARIFORUM refers to the Grouping of Caribbean States which are signatories of the Georgetown Agreement establishing the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP). The ACP grouping is composed of 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific states.

CARIFORUM is the recipient of and manages the implementation of Caribbean Regional Indicative Programmes financed by the EDF and Caribbean regional programmes financed by individual Member States of the European Union. It also provides technical assistance to agencies/institutions implementing projects under these programmes.

– European Union

The Member States of the European Union have decided to link together their expertise, resources, and destinies. Together, they have built a zone of stability, democracy, and sustainable development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance, and individual freedoms. The European Union is committed to sharing its achievements and its values with countries and peoples beyond its borders’.

Background to the PANCAP Justice for All (JFA) Roadmap

The PANCAP Justice for All (JFA) Programme was established in September 2013 as a regional response to the UN High-Level Political Declaration (June 2011) designed to reduce AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. The objectives of the JFA Roadmap are:

•  Enhancing family life and focusing on those in need
• Increasing access to treatment and affordable medicines
• Reducing gender inequality including violence against women, girls, and adolescents
• Promoting prevention with special reference to sexual and reproductive health and rights including age-appropriate sexual education
• Implementing legislative reforms for modifying AIDS-related stigma and discrimination