Webinar to Officially Launch the TNA-NCDs Report

by HCC

On Friday January 22nd, 2021, The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) hosted a webinar to officially launch the report: NCDs AND COVID-19 IN THE CARIBBEAN: A CALL TO ACTION – THE CASE FOR A TRANSFORMATIVE NEW NCD AGENDA (TNA-NCDs). The webinar featured an impressive panel of regional experts and attracted more than 300 viewers.

NCDs and COVID-19 in the Caribbean: A Call to Action – The Case for a Transformative New NCD AgendaBased on lessons from the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and in light of the significant burden of NCDs in the Caribbean – the highest in the Region of the Americas – the HCC is calling for a Transformative New Agenda (TNA) for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Caribbean region.

The Transformative New Agenda proposes an approach to NCD reduction by government, civil society, and private sector, underpinned by principles of equity and human rights; aimed at enhancing human security and human capital; based on social activism by persons living with NCDs (PLWNCDs) and other key stakeholders; and focusing on a life course preventive approach.

At the centre of the TNA is a call for empowered and mobilized Caribbean citizens to ‘stand up’ for their fundamental human right to live in an equitable world where CARICOM governments take responsibility for creating environments that support and promote human and planetary health.

BACKGROUND

The HCC responded to a July 2020 Call for Proposals from the NCD Alliance (NCDA) Civil Society Solidarity Fund (SF) on NCDs and COVID-19 aimed at accelerating the response to the pandemic. The HCC was awarded a grant under Category 2 of the SF, Developing a comprehensive and cohesive NCD advocacy and communications strategy for the COVID-19 response, to implement the project A New Transformative NCD Agenda for Building Back Better in the Caribbean. The report, NCDs and COVID-19 in the Caribbean: a call to action—the case for a transformative new NCD agenda is one of the main outputs of the project. It examines international, regional, and national responses to NCDs and COVID-19; identifies lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic and its intersections with NCDs; and presents a case for a transformative new approach to the prevention and control of NCDs in the Caribbean to contribute to efforts to build back better during and post-COVID-19.

The objectives of the webinar were to:

  1. Officially launch the report: NCDs AND COVID-19 IN THE CARIBBEAN: A CALL TO ACTION – THE CASE FOR A TRANSFORMATIVE NEW NCD AGENDA (TNA-NCDs).
  2. Build diverse support (across sectors, among CSO actors, within the private sector and at the highest levels of policymaking) for the Transformative New NCD Agenda (TNA-NCDs) including its justification, underlying principles, vision, mission, transformative approaches, priority focus areas and key strategies.
  3. Showcase champions for the Transformative New NCD Agenda (TNA-NCDs).

Panellists:

Master of Ceremonies

Transformative New NCD Agenda (TNA-NCDs)

Sir Trevor Hassell
President, Healthy Caribbean Coalition

 

Panel Chair

Transformative New NCD Agenda (TNA-NCDs)

Sir George Alleyne
Director Emeritus, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); Patron, HCC

Panellists/Presenters

Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton

Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton
Minister of Health and Wellness, Jamaica

Dr. Joy St. John

Dr. Joy St. John
Executive Director, Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA)

Dr. Anselm Hennis

Dr. Anselm Hennis
Director, Department of NCDs and Mental Health, PAHO

Mrs. Nicole Foster

Mrs. Nicole Foster
Deputy Dean, Faculty of Law, Cave Hill, University of the West Indies

Dr. Karen Sealey

Dr. Karen Sealey
Founder TT NCD Alliance, Member of the NCD Alliance Board of Directors

Dr. James Hospedales

Dr. James Hospedales
Founder EarthMedic/EarthNurse

Transformative New NCD Agenda (TNA-NCDs)

Mr. Pierre Cooke Jnr
HCC Youth Voices Technical Advisor, Youth Champion

Transformative New NCD Agenda (TNA-NCDs)

Ms. Tara Lisa Persaud
HCC Our Views Our Voices Technical Advisor, Person Living with NCDs

Transformative New NCD Agenda (TNA-NCDs)

Mrs. Maisha Hutton
HCC Executive Director

See the promotional flyer here.