About the Project

The Evaluation of the 2007 Port of Spain Declaration looks at how this landmark Declaration is being implemented on the ground and how such implementation can be accelerated. The world’s first summit on NCDs, signed by CARICOM Heads of Government, is intended to be a game changer in the response to the epidemic of non-communicable diseases. It contains 27 key commitments that touch on a series of key issues:

Caribbean Wellness Day

  • developing a legislative framework;
  • mobilising resources;
  • improving surveillance;
  • controlling tobacco;
  • reducing risk factors;
  • improving access to high quality medical care; collaborating across sectors and establishing NCD Commissions;
  • promoting health; and
  • launching an annual Caribbean Wellness Day. (See picture)

Has the Declaration lived up to its billing? What are we getting right? What can we do better? How are limited resources best targeted to achieve effective results?

An international team of academics, researchers and practitioners is examining the implementation of the Port of Spain Declaration to learn lessons that will support and accelerate further implementation and inform the attainment of commitments in the 2011 United Nations High Level Meeting on NCDs. The project is coordinated by the Cave Hill Public Health Group at the University of West Indies on behalf of CARICOM and the Pan American Health Organization and is backed by the Canadian International Development Research Centre.

Getting to grips with data objectives 1 and 2 (October 2015)

Getting to grips with data objectives 1 and 2 (October 2015).L-R: Dr Glennis Andall-Brereton (CARPHA), Ms Katri Kontio (PAHO), Dr Alafia Samuels (CDRC), Dr Paul Ricketts (Ministry of Health, Dominica), Ms Elizabeth Lloyd (CARPHA), Professor John Kirton (University of Toronto) Ms Madeline Koch (University of Toronto)

There are six research objectives that guide the evaluation. They relate to:

  1. Determining the extent to which Declaration commitments have been implemented
  2. Describing trends in NCD mortality and risk factors from 2000 to 2013
  3. In-depth case studies in seven countries to determine effective implementation etc.
  4. A- Documenting tobacco control measures and studying successful implementation
    B- Estimating the potential for revenue generation for NCD prevention and control from taxes on tobacco and alcohol
    C- Undertaking an evaluation of Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD)
  5. Determining to what extent regional and international bodies have met their Declaration commitments
  6. Studying the Declaration’s regional and international impact

Two further objectives relate to implementation and communication:

  1. Using lessons learnt from this evaluation to detail an action plan and implementation strategy
  2. Disseminating evaluation lessons learnt nationally, regionally and globally to enhance implementation

The team’s expertise is broad and is drawn from:

  • The Public Health Group, University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill
  • The Chronic Disease Research Centre, (UWI)
  • The Health Economics Unit, (UWI), St. Augustine
  • The Institute of International Relations, (UWI), St. Augustine
  • The G8 Research Group, University of Toronto
  • The Caribbean Public Health Agency

The Project Steering Group (PSG)
The PSG provides the main forum for communication between researchers responsible for the different objectives and for monitoring study progress. Full list of Project Steering Group Members here.

The Project Advisory Committee (PAC)
The PAC is made of up renowned experts in studying and advising on the impact of, and policy responses to, NCDs. Members include public health experts within the region and internationally recognised academics. Members of the PAC have agreed to provide feedback and guidance at the request of the PSG. Full list of Project Advisory Committee Members here.

The Project Team
Read about the Project Team here.