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Caribbean set to make an impact at UN High level meeting

Apr 20, 2011 News

Caricom countries have recognised the importance of the Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) which not only represent a serious public health challenge but also a genuine barrier to development, said Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy.
The minister, who was tasked with chairing the recently concluded 21st meeting of the Council of Health and Social Development (COHSOD), revealed that it was for this reason efforts were made to track the accelerated response to NCDs in each Caricom country.
He revealed at a recent press briefing that “all of our countries in the last decade have been scaling up our responses. We all have been targeting prevention strategies and also at the same time we have been improving our diagnostic and treatment capacities.”
He pointed out though that the Caribbean has, from the inception, been in the forefront of forcing global attention on the issue surrounding the NCDs.
“We are very proud and the 21st COHSOD reiterates the fact that we take pride in being in the forefront of the global efforts now being made to prevent and manage the NCDs. We are proud of the fact that it was this Region that was the first to organise a Heads of Government meeting to address the issue of the NCDs.”
According to Minister Ramsammy it is the view of the 21st COHSOD that it was the bold effort of the Caribbean that has forced the world from mere recognition to action.  He further noted that a United Nations High Level Summit on NCDs, slated for September, is in fact another bold step forward that represents not only a leap but efforts to take control of the NCDs.
“We in the Caribbean are proud that it is happening and that we played a leading role.  The 21st COHSOD therefore recognises our responsibility that having worked towards achieving a global summit we must now be a major player at that summit. We must ensure that the Caribbean occupies a prominent role at
the high level meeting and that the high level global meeting of the UN ensures that the concerns of small populations or small island states are taken on board.”
Accordingly, Minister Ramsammy revealed that recommendations have been made at the level of COHSOD to ensure that the Caribbean plays a major role at the high level meeting.  In this regard, he noted that all support will be directed to Jamaica which will be one of the supporters of the resolution at the high level meeting.
Ahead of the 21st hosting of COHSOD, Minister Ramsammy said, the Caribbean played a significant role at the Mexico Meeting on NCDs which yielded the Mexico Declaration which includes concerns that have been raised by Caribbean countries.
Dr. Ramsammy noted that the leadership of Minister of Health of Barbados, Donville Inniss, was instrumental at the Mexico meeting.
“We commend him for the role he played to put the concerns of the Caribbean on the table in Mexico and ensuring that they were included in the Declaration.”
A similar meeting is slated for Moscow next week, and according to Minister Ramsammy, the Caribbean is making sure that it has a united position that will be included in the Moscow Declaration as well.
“These are important because they will form the basis of the Declaration at the UN in September, and therefore if we are going to make an impact on the meeting in September we also need to make an impact in the meeting in Moscow, similar to the impact we made in Mexico.”
Meanwhile, the minister noted with much concern that the issue of mental health is still not getting the attention that it deserves.  He did assert, however, that even if this issue is not placed on the global agenda, the 21st COHSOD has recommended that with respect to Caricom countries, mental health should be an important part of the agenda.
“We think that this is not only important for the Caribbean but it is important globally.
We will ensure that mental health is not only talked about, but that it receives the attention it deserves in the Caribbean.”
“We believe that we can play a leadership role globally in promoting mental health and actions to be taken around neuropsychiatric illnesses,” Ramsammy added.

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