PAHO: Tobacco and nicotine industries design their products to get young people stuck in a cycle of addiction. The grip of tobacco and nicotine addiction can be broken.

Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control (JCTC) Calls for Urgent Action Ahead of World No Tobacco Day 2026

JCTC: The Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control (JCTC) is joining the global observance of World No Tobacco Day on 31 May 2026 under the theme “Unmasking the Appeal – Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction.” 

This year’s theme shines a spotlight on the increasingly sophisticated tactics used by the tobacco and nicotine industries to attract and retain users, particularly young people. From flavored products and colorful packaging to social media marketing and misleading claims about “safer alternatives,” these strategies are designed to make nicotine addiction appear attractive, modern, and harmless.

This report highlights that among individuals aged 13 to 15 years in the 35 PAHO Member States, the highest prevalence of current tobacco use (25.3%) was reported in the Caribbean, noting that ENDS/ENNDS use is also widespread and on the increase in the Caribbean. The report also makes recommendations to CARICOM governments—and their key partners and stakeholders—for priority actions to prevent and reduce ENDS/ENNDS use and harms among young people in the Caribbean.

Tobacco control advocacy is needed because globally more than 8 million deaths are attributed to tobacco use annually, this includes smoked and chewing tobacco use, along with second-hand exposure to tobacco.

Globally more than 8 million deaths are attributed to tobacco use annually This includes smoked and chewing tobacco use, along with second-hand exposure to tobacco.

The Part-Time Finance Assistant will support the day-to-day financial administration of the HCC and its projects, including accurate financial record keeping, financial tracking and budget monitoring, timely reconciliations, donor financial reporting, and strong documentation and compliance practices. The role is ideal for a detail-oriented and highly organised individual who is comfortable working within a small, dynamic regional civil society organisation environment and supporting multiple projects.

The deadline for submission of applications is Monday 15 June 2026.

Unhealthy Food and Drink Brands in Our Schools?

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Sagicor: Hosted by Dr. Kenneth Connell, President of the HCC and Deputy Dean of Recruitment and Outreach at the UWI Faculty of Medicine, The Wellness Effect is a video podcast series designed to educate our communities about the dangers of NCDs. It will show the impact on not just their physical but their financial wellbeing. The series is a partnership between Sagicor, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and the UWI Faculty of Medicine.

Photo: NCD Alliance

NCD Alliance: Air pollution is a leading preventable risk factor for noncommunicable diseases, contributing to millions of deaths each year and placing the greatest burden on low- and middle-income countries. It also drives major economic, environmental and social harms, making clean air action essential for protecting both human and planetary health. 

This policy brief highlights practical clean air policies that can help governments deliver on recent global commitments, including the WHO target to halve mortality from human-caused air pollution by 2040.

Photo: iStock photo | Freemixer

PAHO: The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States - Pharmaceutical Procurement Service (OECS-PPS), will convene a Joint Planning Workshop aimed at improving access to safe, effective, and quality-assured medicines and health technologies for OECS Member States. 

A key milestone of the two-day workshop, to be held in Saint Lucia from 28–29 May 2026, will be the formal launch of the PAHO/WHO–OECS Technical Working Group (TWG), which will guide coordinated efforts to streng

Kick Big Soda Out’s new campaign is geared up to launch on June 4 ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup (June 11-July 19, 2026)!

Share the campaign across your social channels using this toolkit. This toolkit includes legal guidelines, social media posts, videos, images, a fact sheet and backgrounder.

As we approach the 20th anniversary of the 2007 CARICOM Port of Spain Declaration on NCDs, progress on NCD prevention and control has been slow. Only three Caribbean countries – Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, and Grenada – were on track to meet the 2025 NCD targets among PAHO Member States. Several others, including The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, could have achieved the 2025 targets with accelerated action. 

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, jointly hosted a webinar on May 7th, 2026, to take stock of the advancements in healthy food policy across the region and in wider Latin America, which are guided by The World Health Organization (WHO) “Best Buys” and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) 6-Point Policy Package.

Media Coverage: 

St Vincent Times: The road ahead for healthy food policy in the Caribbean

Antigua Newsroom: Wins, Gaps and the Road Ahead for Healthy Food Policy in the Caribbean

Emonews: Wins, Gaps and the Road Ahead for Healthy Food Policy in the Caribbean

FAO Subregional Office for the Caribbean  Join an inspiring webinar on Food Loss and Waste, centering around SDG 12.3.1 and considering the unique challenges and opportunities in the Caribbean. The webinar will share global best practices as well as lessons learned from the recently completed Field Test of food loss in the Soursop, Banana and Sweet Potato Value Chains in Grenada.

CANDI: The leadership of the Caribbean Association of Nutritionists and Dietitians (CANDi) is pleased to launch Caribbean Nutrition Month (CNM) 2026. This month-long regional initiative will be launched on Caribbean Nutrition Day, June 1, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. (JT) at the University of Technology, Jamaica (Lecture Theatre 50). Partners are invited to participate via hybrid modalities; details for virtual participation will be shared shortly. CANDi will also celebrate its 54th anniversary on June 26, 2026, making this year’s observance especially significant. CNM campaigns, guided by the Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) framework, feature an annual theme that promotes healthier dietary patterns and active living across Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

EarthMedic and EarthNurse are not-for-profits with global scope, with special focus on climate-vulnerable regions, anchored in the Caribbean small island developing states (SIDS), and based in Trinidad and Tobago and England, UK.

Springer Nature Link: The 2025 Lancet Series on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) marks a turning point in global health by reframing UPFs not simply as unhealthy products, but as outcomes of food systems shaped by corporate power, trade liberalisation, and extractive economic models. The Series demonstrates that UPFs are a distinct category of harm and a major structural driver of the global obesity crisis, with profound implications for equity, sustainability, and food sovereignty. This commentary builds on the Series to identify pathways for effective policy and civil society action, focusing on the political economy of UPF proliferation and the role of local and community-based food systems in countering corporate power.

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World No Tobacco Day 2018

World No Tobacco Day 2018 will focus on the impact tobacco has on the cardiovascular health of people worldwide. Every year, on 31 May, WHO and partners mark World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), highlighting the health and other risks associated with tobacco use, and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption.