Healthy Caribbean Coalition: building on success

HCC/PAHO capacity building civil society chronic diseases workshop

27 -28 October 2010

Trevor A. Hassell

Healthy Caribbean Coalition

• The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) was formed in 2008. It is a network of non-governmental and civil society organisations from across the CARICOM region that has a remit to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs)

Map of the Caribbean

Heads of Government of CARICOM on NCDs, 2007

• “the burdens of NCDs can be reduced by comprehensive and integrated and control strategies at the individual, family, community, national and regional levels through collaborative programmes, partnerships and policies supported by governments, private sectors, NGOs and our other social , regional and international partners”.

Civil society’s response to Heads of Government of CARICOM Summit on

NCDs

• As a direct response to the call for a collaborative and supportive role of civil society in responding to the chronic diseases, a civil society Caribbean Chronic Disease conference was held titled: “Healthy Caribbean 2008: A Wellness Revolution Event”.

Participants Agriculture 3 Business 5 Education 3 Faith Based 4 Finance 7 Food Industry 2 Gov./Policy 13 H C Providers 11 Health Finance 3 Labour 5 Legal 1 Media 9 NGO/CNCD 35 Pharma 3 Reg./Pol 6 Service Clubs 3 Sports/PA 3 Urban Dev. 3 Youth 3

Anguilla Antigua Aruba Bahamas Barbados Belize BVI Cayman islands Dominica Grenada Guyana Jamaica Montserrat St. Lucia Trinidad and Tobago St. Kitts

Delegates: conference 2008

Outcome from Healthy Caribbean Conference 2008

• Publication of a Report of the Conference• Bridgetown Declaration• Action Plan

Action Plan

• establishment of a Caribbean Civil society CNCD Coalition/Network

• contribution and participation in all aspects of advocacy as a tool for influencing positive change around NCDs

• development of an effective method of communication for and among members of the coalition

• contribution to chronic disease public education campaigns and programmes

Action Plan

• monitoring, evaluating and holding policy makers and stakeholders accountable

• support for Annual Caribbean Wellness Day, • advocacy and support for chronic disease risk

factor reduction • support of initiatives, plans and programmes

at country and organization levelImplementation by an Organising Task Force

Achievements

• website established and effective communications system established

• endorsed paho policy statement on preventing cardiovascular disease through population salt reduction

• initiated public education salt reduction campaign• considered as a model for development of HLA

Coalition • advocacy initiative started aimed at CARICOM Prime

Ministers and Ministers of Government, leading up to the UN Summit on NCDs

Achievements: relations

• PAHO• Agita Mundo• International Union for Health Promotion and

Education• Global Advocacy for Physical Activity• Common Interest Group of the NCD Alliance• Health Action Partnership International, UK• National Heart Forum,UK

Achievements: presentations

• High Level Forum on Developing Capacity for Health Equity, HAPI, London

• Meetings of CMOs and Health Ministers of OECS countries

• Chronic Disease Management in India; a Health Systems Agenda

• University Diabetes Outreach Programme: “Diabetes and smoking: the deadly duo”

Lessons learnt

• The HCC represents the first attempt to mobilize people in the Caribbean around a health agenda

Lessons learnt

• Limited experience in the region of civil society coming together around health issues to advocate for change and hold policymakers accountable

Lessons learnt

• In developing the Healthy Caribbean Coalition there has been a need to educate and inform about the tools available to civil society to effect change, even as attempts are made to bring organizations together in an effective network.

Lessons learnt

• The electronic media is a very effective tool in informing and bringing together Caribbean civil society to respond to chronic diseases

Lessons learnt

• Expressions of intent by regional policy makers often surpasses implementation of legislation, policies and programmes necessary for combating this group of diseases

The way forward

• hosting, together with PAHO, a Caribbean civil society capacity building workshop on chronic diseases, 27-28 October 2010 scaling up of the Healthy Caribbean CoalitionCapacity building of civil society around chronic

diseases within countriesIdentification of specific HCC projects, 2010-2012Production of a HCC road map leading to UN

Summit on chronic diseases, 2011

www.healthycaribbean.org.

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.

Goethe