The November 22nd, 2013 regional meeting ‘Strengthening Health Systems, Supporting NCD Action Meeting 2013 – Advocating for Policies and Action’ held in Trinidad, was a great success with over 60 delegates from 14 Caribbean countries, representing a wide cross section of disciplines including health NGOs, government, private sector, trade unions, women’s groups, the media, international organisations, service clubs, faith based organisations and medical associations. The meeting was a demonstration of the HCC’s ongoing commitment to the principles of partnership and collaboration, truly reflecting a ‘whole of society approach’ to NCDs. In addition to HCC Patron and International NCD expert Sir George Alleyne, key players from across the region including CARPHA, PAHO, CARICOM and UWI, came together in support of a multi-stakeholder approach to NCD prevention and control in the Caribbean.
HCC members demonstrated the power of civil society in driving change by sharing experiences such as the passing of anti-tobacco legislation in Jamaica, the establishment of low cost community based interventions to reduce the incidence of diabetes related amputations across the Caribbean, and private sector partnerships to support national HPV vaccination programmes and school meal policies in the Cayman Islands. The critical importance of private sector partnerships was underscored by Mr. Ed Clarke, Chief Operating Officer of Sagicor Life Inc. a major supporter of the HCC, who noted that ‘The role of advocacy is vital in our fight against the NCD epidemic…’ and ‘…as a regional insurance company we see the effects of NCDs on a daily basis and this makes us even more determined to support the fight.’
The meeting was a great success as key objectives were achieved and the HCC now looks ahead to the next phase of the NCD Alliance project. We would like to thank our members and our partners for their tremendous commitment to the HCC.
A special thank you to our partners, PAHO & CARPHA for their support of this meeting and their ongoing support. Thank you to our funders, the NCD Alliance and Medtronic Philanthropy.
Electronic Resource Pack containing NCD related reports, policies, plans, facts and figures and more download here.
To find out more about the HCC Advocacy and Social Media Handbooks here.
Presentations from the meeting.
HCC Meeting Master Slides. view/download
Session 1
Introductory Remarks – Professor Trevor Hassell, President HCC. view/download
Advocacy Word Cloud – HCC. view/download
Advocacy to Change Policy: The Tobacco Experience – Mrs Barbara McGaw, Project Manager JCTC. view/download
Creating a Civil Society Led Cervical Cancer Advocacy Movement The Caribbean Cervical Cancer Electronic Petition – Yulit Gordon, Jamaica Cancer Society view/download
Session 2
Regional Status Report Responses to NCDs – Professor Nigel Unwin UWI and Ms Lisa Bishop, UWI. view/download
Port of Spain Declaration and its Significance – Dr. Rudolph Cummings, CARICOM. view/download
Global Targets for Prevention and control of NCDs – Dr James Hospedales, CARPHA. view/download
Millennium Development Goals and NCDs – Dr Tomo Kanda, PAHO/WHO. Download view/download
Assessing the Caribbean’s Response to NCDs – Professor Nigel Unwin, UWI. Download view/download
Session 3
HCC Handbook and Guide Launch. view/download
Strengthening Health Systems NCD Toolkit – Ms. Ariella Rojhani, Advocacy Manager NCD Alliiance. view/download
HCC Civil Society Advocacy Technical Working Group. view/download
The Diabetes Experience – Dr. Simone McConnie, DFB. view/download
The Heart Experience – Mrs Gina Pitts, HSFB. view/download
Priority Areas for Advocacy Action – Dr. Sook Lee Yin, CICS. view/download
HCC Civil Society Draft Advocacy Plan. view/download
Session 4
The NCD Commissions Involving CSOs in the NCD Agenda – Dr. Alafia Samuels. UWI. view/download