Let us ensure together that CARICOM is strongly represented on the 25th of September at the HLM4 !!

On 25 September 2025, Heads of States and Government will meet at the UN General Assembly to set a new vision for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and the promotion of mental health and wellbeing towards 2030 and beyond.

Visit our dedicated 4th UN High Level Meeting page to find out more. 

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This webinar aims to:

• Reintroduce the For the Children campaign, with a spotlight on updated and new materials.
• Expose and reframe industry-sponsored activities—such as school donations and sponsorships—as strategic marketing tools that grant the food and beverage industry undue influence and actively undermine school nutrition policies and children’s health.
• Identify rights-based, culturally relevant, and financially sustainable strategies to eliminate unhealthy food marketing in and around schools, while fostering strong alliances that protect school environments from corporate interference and promote the wellbeing of children.

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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.

HCC and HSFB team

HCC: The Healthy Caribbean Coalition has been welcomed into the family of the region’s media fraternity and got the esteemed opportunity to fulfil one of our commitments which we have strived to achieve over the last five (5) years; to host the media’s best for an in-person sensitization on the health landscape of the Caribbean, in partnership with the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU). 

The HCC welcomed over 130 delegates of the CBUs 56th Annual General Assembly (AGA) and 36th Caribbean Media Awards (CMA) to its home-country Barbados, along with one of its civil society organization members, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados at the Hilton Resort, Barbados. The delegates included Media Managers, Executive Directors, News Editors, Multi-Media Journalists, Media Moguls, Media stalwarts, Anchors and Communication Specialists.

HCC at the 36th Caribbean Media Awards

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HCC sponsored 2 awards   :

• Theme Awards (Print) Coverage of Healthy Nutrition Food Policy - winner, RJRGLEANER Communications Group, Youth Advocates Hungry For School Nutrition Policy, Sashana Small.
• Theme Awards (Television) Coverage of Healthy Nutrition Food Policy Coalition - winner, Barbados Government Information Service - This is My Life: Stories From People Living With NCDs – Olvin Forde Esther Jones, Melissa Rollock, Aaron Greenidge

See the full list of 36th Caribbean Media Awards winners here.

PAHO: Suicide Prevention: A Conversation with Caribbean Youth was hosted at the PAHO Barbados Office ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th, to provide a forum for the youth which prioritized listening, building hope, and mobilizing action to prevent suicide. The forum was organized by Let’s Unpack It and Healthy Caribbean Youth, with the support of The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO), and the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

Related media: 

Nation News: Mental Health Issues Worse Since COVID

NCD Alliance: The Global Week for Action on NCDs aims to unite the NCD movement each year under a specific theme, concentrating our combined efforts with the aim of reducing the NCD burden globally and increasing health and equality. Join the 2024-2025 campaign!

Photo: WHO/Christopher Black

United Nations: More than a billion people worldwide are living with mental health conditions, according to new data released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday. 

Disorders such as anxiety and depression are exacting a heavy toll on individuals, families and economies, yet most countries are failing to provide adequate support. 

Mental health problems are widespread across every society and age group and remain the second leading cause of long-term disability. They drive up healthcare costs for families and governments while costing the global economy an estimated $1 trillion each year in lost productivity, UN health experts said.

The Dialogue Around NCDs Needs To Change

The Lancet: In our first Editorial of 2025, we wrote that, to turn the tide on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the pernicious influence and lobbying of health-harming industries must be confronted and overcome. 43 million lives are lost every year to NCDs, and up to 80% of these deaths could be prevented. 82% of premature deaths from NCDs occur in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Three previous UN High-level Meetings on NCDs have failed to accelerate progress towards reducing rates of premature mortality. The chances of success of a fourth High-level Meeting, to be held on Sept 25 in New York at the UN General Assembly, do not look good.

WHO: As part of the Digital Literacy Program, we will address key topics to strengthen your digital skills: Telehealth and Telemedicine, Vital Statistics and Health Data Management. 

Join the webinars, masterclasses, and sessions with experts.

WHO STEPS and the Future of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

JAMA Cardiology:  By the early 2000s, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) had become the dominant global health threat, yet most countries lacked even the most basic data to guide prevention. In response, the World Health Assembly (WHA), in resolution WHA53.17, issued a landmark call for global action—to map emerging epidemics, reduce exposure to modifiable risk factors, and strengthen care for people living with NCDs. The World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) STEPwise Approach to NCD Risk Factor Surveillance (WHO STEPS), launched soon after, was a direct response: a simple, standardized framework for countries to track behavioral and biological risk factors.

We Have the POWER, We Can Make a CHANGE

We Have the POWER, We Can Make a CHANGE 

What do you see when you think of the future? 

We like to think of happy and healthy children that live in a world where it’s easy to make a healthy choice. 

Unfortunately right now 1 in 3 Caribbean Children is overweight or obese and without effective policy this is projected to reach 50% by 2030.