Objectives

The project sought to accomplish three objectives by providing support to the PANCAP Coordinating Unit through CARICOM as follows:

• Strengthen the capacity of the PANCAP Coordinating Unit in the technical areas of planning and resourcing, strategic information and communication and policy analysis to ensure the most effective Caribbean regional response to HIV and AIDS;
• Enhance the capacity of the PANCAP Coordinating Unit to gather, organize, store, analyze, and disseminate strategic information to all PANCAP partners utilizing modern methodologies and technologies;
• Strengthen the capacity of the PANCAP Coordinating Unit to provide support and value-added services to the various organs of PANCAP – Regional Coordinating Mechanism (governance and policy), Annual General Meeting (consensus and implementation), Priority Areas Coordinating Committee (planning, harmonization and collaboration) and other Technical Working Groups as well as to Regional Partner Organizations and National Programmes.

The Organization and Management Review of the PANCAP Coordinating Unit defined an approach for the creation of a dynamic and service-oriented organization with the essential capacity to drive the work of PANCAP. The report recommended the establishment of a new organizational design to reflect the key PANCAP priority mission areas of strategic information and communication, policy analysis, strategy development, resource allocation and corporate services. The newly-approved organizational arrangement of the PANCAP Coordinating Unit is set out as follows:

Strategic Information and Communication

Project Outputs/Results
Outputs of the programme were aligned with and supportive of the priorities of several of the PEPFAR goal areas. The main cooperative agreement was to design and implement a searchable, assessable, electronic repository “clearinghouse” of regional HIV and AIDS strategic information and data needed by policy and decision makers, programme managers, service providers, advocacy groups and the public to support the following regional impacts:

• Improved strategic planning
• More well-informed policies
• Better evidence-based decision making
• More realistic priorities
• More well targeted prevention and control efforts
• More persuasive proposals, reports and presentations
• Better coordination and less duplication
• Stronger advocacy
• Effective stigma and discrimination prevention efforts
• Enhanced professional development opportunities
• Efficient and economic programme operations
• A better informed public

This centralized and virtual electronic repository made available at least the following types of HIV and AIDS data and strategic information:

• Morbidity, mortality, risk factor, monitoring and evaluation other basic data
• Late breaking scientific, medical and technical news
• Reports, recommendations, guidelines, protocols
• Policies, plans, procedures
• Model programmes and best practices
• Funding announcements, donor information
• Organizational profiles and links to all partner organization
• Directories of key people, treatment facilities, VTC sites and labs
• Scientific papers, presentations, publications and study findings
• Schedules of events and educational opportunities
• Health educational and risk reduction information