Georgetown: The structure established to pave the way for an AIDS-free Caribbean is getting an operational plan.
Representatives from regional support agencies within the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) met 24 and 25 July to develop the first biennial operational plan for the implementation of the 2014-2018 Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework (CRSF) on HIV and AIDS, designed to pave the way for an AIDS-free Caribbean.
The goal of the 2014-2018 CRSF is: To halt the spread and reduce the impact of HIV in the Caribbean, while promoting sustainable health and development. This will be achieved through the six Strategic Priority Areas (SPAs): an enabling environment; shared responsibility; prevention of HIV transmission; care, treatment and support; integration of HIV services; and sustainability.
The objective of the meeting was to develop the plan through a collaborative approach. After presentations from each organisation on the work currently being done, small groups worked to flesh out priority activities for the achievement of expected results articulated in the CRSF. During an extended plenary session, activities, inputs, timeframes and desired outputs were agreed for each of the six SPAs. The two-year operational plan builds on work currently underway, and covers the period through the end of 2016.
Aligned with the epidemiological context and the needs of national programmes, the 2014-2018 CRSF is a strategic investment approach to guide regional and national action that is coordinated, complementary and synergistic in achieving sustainable health and development outcomes. Progress towards sustainable heath and the elimination of HIV transmission requires an accelerated and systematic approach to confronting the breadth of issues across the human rights, social, economic and political dimensions of the epidemic. The SPAs are interlinked and overlapping constituting a holistic and comprehensive approach to addressing these complex social and structural challenges. Progress is interdependent, requiring results in all areas if elimination of AIDS is to be achieved.
The PANCAP Coordinating Unit (PCU) hosted this meeting of key technical partners in the regional HIV response at the offices of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA). Ms. Sarah Insanally, Strategy and Resourcing Officer of the PCU was the facilitator, and will be the key person responsible for follow-up and continued work.
Attendees of the meeting were: Mr. Erin Blake, M&E Specialist (CARPHA); Dr. Miriam Chipimo Strategic Intervention Advisor, (UNAIDS); Mrs. Gardenia Destang-Richardson, National HIV/AIDS Programme Coordinator, National AIDS Secretariat, Ministry of Health (St. Kitts and Nevis); Dr. Carolyn Gomes, Executive Director, Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition; Dr. Cheryl Hebert, Gender Specialist, Directorate of Human and Social Development of CARICOM; Dr. Avery Hinds, Senior Technical Officer, Communicable Disease and Emergency Response (CARPHA); Dr. Noreen Jack, Coordinator, Pan American Health Organisation; Dr. David Johnson, Chief Medical Officer (Dominica); Ms. Dylis McDonald, Chief of Party, Caribbean HIV/AIDS Alliance; Mr. Roger McLean, Research Fellow, University of the West Indies; Mr. Ainsley Reid, Chair, Board of Directors, Caribbean Network of People Living with HIV; and Ms. Valerie Wilson, Director, Caribbean Med Labs Foundation.
Other representatives from the PCU included: Ms. Monica Brinn, Communication Specialist; Mrs. Karen Cumberbatch, Administrative Assistant; and Mr. Collin Kirton, Senior Accountant.
The meeting was funded by USAID.
You must be logged in to post a comment.