Tuesday March 19, 2024 11:00am AST/ED

Join the Global Center for Legal Innovation on Food Environments, Health Caribbean Coalition and the Law & Health Research Unit, UWI Cave Hill for the release of their joint publication which seeks to inform the strengthening of public health decision-making in the Caribbean.

HCC Executive Director, Maisha Hutton, HCC Policy Advisor and Head of the Law and Health Research Unit at UWI Cave Hill Campus, Nicole Foster and Ms. Shereika Mills, Attorney and LLM Student, presented at University of Sydney Law School Annual Food Governance Conference in Sydney, Australia from 14-16 February 2024. Their participation was supported by the Global Center for Legal Innovation on Food Environments at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law (Georgetown University), one of the co-hosts of the Conference. Caribbean experiences and perspectives on food governance challenges and solutions were shared across various presentations delivered by the three representatives. 

Find out more on the Conference and see the programme

Deborah Chen, Executive Director of the HFJ, Board member of the Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control (JCTC) and Board member of the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC) and Barbara McGaw Tobacco Control Advisor, Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control (JCTC) and the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) attended the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, in Panama, February 5-10, 2024.

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition’s Advocacy Officer and Coordinator of Healthy Caribbean Youth, Danielle Walwyn, participated in the 3rd Latin America and Caribbean Tobacco Control Leadership Program hosted by The Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) in Mexico City from 26 February to 1 March 2024. The Program emphasized leadership principles in relation to a range of tobacco control-related topics and structured around the components of the World Health Organization's (WHO's) MPOWER package of measures to reduce the demand for tobacco and other nicotine delivery products. Barbara McGaw, HCCs Tobacco Control Advisor participated in the program in 2016 in Chile.

During the program, Danielle participated in a panel discussion titled “Tobacco Control Challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean – An Overview of Lessons Learned About What Has Worked, What Hasn’t Worked, and What We Need to Do Differently to Succeed in Overcoming Challenges to Tobacco Control,” alongside Gustavo Sóñora from Vital Strategies and Patricia Sosa from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The session aimed to identify successful interventions to overcome the current challenges faced in sustaining progress in tobacco control in the region and to utilize lessons learned in overcoming these challenges at all levels and across programs and organizations to inform future tobacco control work.

Farisha Seombhar-Singh, National Tobacco Control Focal Point, Suriname presented on Suriname’s progress on FCTC implementation. Dr. Taraleen Malcom, PAHO NCD Advisor-Eastern Caribbean Countries, Barbados, presented on Countering the Tobacco Industry - Strategic Planning and Action to Fight and Defeat the Tobacco Industry.

Reflecting on her experience, Danielle noted that attending the program “was life-changing. While progress has been made in tobacco control across the Region, there's much more to do, especially as we navigate new and emerging products. I was particularly inspired by the youth voices behind bold advocacy in Latin America. I hope we may be able to foster this in the Caribbean as the Industry continues to find new and innovative ways to entice young people as their new generation of users. As shared in the “Vaping Among Adolescents and Youth in the Caribbean” report, the limited data that we have is already showing us a troubling trend toward e-cigarette use among our region’s youth.”

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 11:30 A.M. (Washington D.C. time or EST)

An event that seeks to incorporate the health and nutrition approach as a central axis in the transformation of food systems to prevent overweight and obesity.

On March 6, 2024 the Heart & Stroke Foundation ramped up its advocacy efforts to encourage government to introduce a Front-of-Package Warning Label (FOPWL) Policy with its latest campaign.

The Pan American Health Organization recently convened a four-day workshop in Barbados for public health and legal experts from six Caribbean countries. The focus was on legislation and the legal drafting of regulatory tools aimed at eliminating industrially produced trans fatty acids (iTFA) and implementing sodium reduction targets for packaged foods.

Excessive consumption of sodium and trans-fats ranks among the leading causes of death worldwide, contributing significantly to the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases, which are among the top causes of mortality. The elimination of trans-fats could save an estimated 17.5 million lives globally by 2040. Reducing dietary sodium has been identified as an effective and cost-efficient way to save lives; for every US$ 1 invested in scaling up sodium reduction interventions, there will be a return of at least US$ 12.

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition in collaboration with Lake Health and Wellbeing and the Saint Kitts and Nevis NCD Alliance is pleased to host a 3-part session series to to equip CSOs from across the region with the knowledge and tools to successfully market their organisations and reach their target audience with their key messages. 

The first session "Developing Your NGO Brand Identity" will be on Saturday April 27th from 10.00AM - 12.00PM AST featuring guest speakers from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Let's Unpack It, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Antigua and Barbuda. Throughout the session, our experts will delve into crucial topics to help your organisation establish a strong brand presence and effectively communicate your mission. The session will cover essential aspects such as an Introduction to Branding, strategies for developing your NGO’s brand and telling your story, and techniques for reaching your target audience through effective targeting and engagement. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your NGO's branding efforts and make a lasting impact in your community.

On March 8, 2024 in support of World Obesity Day, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC)/Healthy Caribbean Youth (HCY), the Caribbean Child Research Conference and UNICEF Jamaica hosted a webinar Let’s Talk about Obesity &… the Right to Healthy School Food Environments in the Caribbean. 

The objectives of the session were:

• Highlight the experience of children/young people in their school food environments
• Emphasize existing School Nutrition Policies in the region
• Emphasize the importance of a rights-based approach in addressing childhood obesity and advocating for healthy school food environments

On World Obesity Day, the Global Obesity Coalition - World Obesity Federation, UNICEF and WHO - hosted a global youth-led webinar to talk about 'Obesity & Youth: Young people catalysing change'. This webinar was moderated by Pierre Cooke Jr HCC Technical Advisor.