(L-R) Dr. Mark Sami, Director-CARPHA, Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director-CARPHA and Dr. Horace Cox, Director-CARPHA witness the signing agreement between CARPHA and the HCC, to tackle NCDs in the Region
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. December 5, 2025. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) have reaffirmed their long-standing partnership to advance the regional response to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), one of the greatest public health challenges facing the Caribbean, by the renewing of a five (5) year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both agencies.
Building on over eight (8) years of collaboration, CARPHA and HCC signed a renewed commitment to enhance regional capacity to prevent and control NCDs by combining CARPHA’s scientific and technical leadership with HCC’s convening power and advocacy reach within civil society. The partnership strengthens civil society engagement, accelerates policy adoption, improves surveillance-to-action pathways, and amplifies health promotion across CARICOM Member States.
Dr. Kenneth Connell, President, Healthy Caribbean Coalition following the renewal of a five (5) year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both agencies
HCC President, Dr. Kenneth Connell emphasised the importance of civil society and regional public health institutions working hand-in-hand.
“CARPHA has been a trusted partner of the HCC for many years, and we are delighted to continue our partnership through the signing of this our 3rd consecutive MOU which will govern collaborative work between CARPHA and civil society over the next five years as we approach the 2030 SDGs. The MOU sends a powerful message that civil society is a valued strategic partner. Together our organisations will work to advance regional public health measures, demonstrating the power of civil society and CARPHA working hand in hand to create lasting impact”.
CARPHA Executive Director, Dr. Lisa Indar, welcomed the continued collaboration, noting that the burden of NCDs in our Region is significant and requires unified, sustained action.
“Our collaboration with HCC ensures that the evidence generated by CARPHA is translated into meaningful action at the community level. Together, we can accelerate policy implementation, empower our populations to make healthier choices, and build a more resilient Caribbean”.
The primary objectives of this partnership include:
- Knowledge Creation and Dissemination: Using traditional and new technologies and communication channels to generate, repackage and disseminate information grounded in scientific evidence and free of conflict of interest to civil society and key stakeholders in an effort to build health literacy, drive demand and foster political will for the accelerated implementation of NCD prevention and control policies and programmes.
- Capacity Development: Leveraging the unique expertise and resources within CARPHA and HCC to support the development and building of the full range of organisational capacities of HCC member Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
- Growing and Strengthening Partnerships: Strengthening regional and national partnerships, networks and coalitions, to support the whole-of-society and whole-of-government multisectoral, multistakeholder response to NCDs including supporting health-in-all-policies, policy coherence, and strengthening of tools to improve NCD/public health governance in order to safeguard policymaking from conflicts of interest and undue influence
- Advocacy and Accountability: Strengthening advocacy and accountability capacity and action of CSOs to make the case, monitor, and support governments and other partners to meet national, regional and international commitments for action on NCDs and accelerate and increase effective action on development and implementation of NCD policies and programmes.
- Cross Cutting Collaborating and Co-advocating at the very highest levels of Regional Health/NCD Governance: To advance the regional NCD agenda including at the level of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD), the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) Heads of Government and through the OECS Commission Councils of governance.
CARPHA and HCC will improve the translation of data into action, amplify public health messaging, and support Member States in implementing effective, people-centred NCD prevention and control initiatives. This strengthened partnership comes at a critical time, as the Region continues to experience high rates of NCDs including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases; reaffirming both organisations’ commitment to working collaboratively to support Caribbean governments, civil society groups, and communities, ensuring a harmonised and resilient regional response to NCDs.
Read the full CARPHA media release