Regional stakeholders meet in Trinidad to plot furtherance of HIV fight

Mar 13, 2019 News

---

The Region has made progress in responding to the HIV epidemic but there is yet more to be done, particularly in relation to the implementation of innovative activities to achieve prevention, retain people in treatment and care, reach key populations with services, and create an enabling environment.
This notion was recently amplified by Director of the Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS [PANCAP], Mr. Derek Springer at the start of the Seventh Meeting of National AIDS Programme [NAP] managers and key partners.
The meeting which commenced in Trinidad on Monday was hosted 22 months ahead of the end of the 2020 deadline for reaching the UNAIDS 90–90–90 Targets — 90 percent of people living with HIV diagnosed, 90 percent of diagnosed people on treatment and 90 percent of those on treatment virally suppressed.
In his opening remarks, Springer highlighted that PANCAP recently evaluated the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS (CRSF) 2014-2018 and will be using the results to inform the development of the new CRSF 2019-2023.
“Compared to 2013 when it felt as though we were in the midst of winter, we are now a much more united partnership. We are all PANCAP,” said Director Springer as he added, “the Partnership is much stronger and more resilient because of the work being done by everyone.”
“We have demonstrated an indomitable will to overcome the many challenges including financial and human resources in our effort to serve the people of the Caribbean. PANCAP has restored its goodwill; the presence of over 135 partners here today is testimony of this goodwill and a recognition that the PANCAP brand is synonymous with good leadership, respect for partners, meaningful engagement and accountability. There is no other partnership for health like ours,” he asserted.
The Director stated that there is renewed confidence in PANCAP and this has been achieved because the Partnership has placed people at the heart of the matter. “We have made them central to the Partnership, influencing policy and actively contributing to the decision-making process,” he added.
In fact, he pointed out that, “Our priority was to ensure that those of us within the leadership of the organisation did not become remote and disconnected from the views of the people whom we serve – the people who know best what their needs are and what needs to be done to meet them.”
He further disclosed that the Partnership is now more visible, pointing out that, “We are sharing our knowledge, we are improving coordination – both alignment and harmonization.”
He made it clear that, “We are demonstrating our added value to the Caribbean region. Our strategic regional approach to HIV builds on a strong history of collaboration in public health to overcome the challenges inherent to the unique geography, economy and culture of the Caribbean”.
The Director highlighted that a key objective of PANCAP is to achieve value for money by promoting economies of scale, as the region’s small developing states may provide limited capacity for developing the complex programmes needed for a comprehensive response to HIV.

The partnership marked 18 years of its existence on February 14, 2019.
From its inception in 2001, there have been notable successes, including the fact that HIV incidence and AIDS-related deaths have been reduced, and seven countries have been certified as having achieved the dual targets for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis.
Strengthened national programmes have improved capacity to implement prevention, treatment and care activities.
“We have built the capacity of civil society and positioned them to access their own funding,” Springer stressed, even as he noted that, “substantial investments have been made in strengthening health systems and in scaling-up services for increasing numbers of people who are living longer with HIV.”
Regional public goods and services, he said, have facilitated this by lowering costs and reducing inefficiencies inherent in building capacity in multiple countries.” He further noted that countries contribute to, and benefit from, more affordable access to medicines and the sharing of technical skills, operational capacity, information, advocacy and specialised services. PANCAP has supported the OECS Pharmaceutical Procurement System under the Global Fund Round 9 grant, which has now expanded. Technical support is sourced within the region and is implemented through peer-learning methodologies and virtual and face-to-face knowledge sharing events.
“We continue to respond to the needs of the region and we are actively mobilising resources from our development partners such as PEPFAR, the Global Fund and UN agencies, albeit in an environment of scarcity while leveraging the technical expertise of our development partners to support our national governments to increase domestic resources for HIV” the Director shared.
He moreover urged participants to use the meeting to review progress, learn from each other, explore innovative approaches and commit to implementing and scaling them up.
“Let us make our voices heard so that we can inform the priorities and strategies for our new CRSF,” said Springer as he urged the regional participants to, “Let us be bold. Let us not fear the future, instead let us identify and embrace the many opportunities that present themselves for us to renew, refresh, streamline and refocus. Let us find within ourselves, our invincible summer. I am confident that this Partnership will build upon this solid foundation over the next few years and will provide the leadership required for achieving the vision of ending AIDS in the Caribbean region.”

---

---