• Implementation Workshop

Uniting to Stop the NCD Epidemic – Time to Accelerate Action

A “golden opportunity”: Major regional workshop to tackle NCDs starts this week

Some 60 leaders, experts and activists in the Caribbean NCD response will meet in Port of Spain on February 24 and 25 to get to grips with the epidemic of diseases, such as heart attacks, stroke, diabetes and cancer, posing a huge threat to health and development in the region.

They are coming together to review the results of an evaluation of the landmark 2007 Port of Spain Declaration on NCDs, issued by CARICOM Heads of Government. They will then develop a renewed action plan to accelerate implementation of the Declaration as it approaches its 10th Anniversary in 2017. The evaluation is led by the University of the West Indies (UWI) on behalf of CARICOM and the Pan American Health Organisation.

Whole-of-society

The focus of the workshop is on broadening and deepening the NCD response so that it is fully multisectoral, involving everyone. (Workshop Agenda)

According to one of the evaluation team leaders, Professor Nigel Unwin, Chair of Population Health Sciences at UWI’s Chronic Disease Research Centre, without this multisectorality there can be no success. “Dealing with NCDs goes far beyond the health sector. If we’re going to make headway against this epidemic then we need a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, including a range of government departments, civil society organisations, the private sector, the media and the faith community.” He adds, “NCDs really are everyone’s business.”

“Dealing with NCDs goes far beyond the health sector. If we’re going to make headway against this epidemic then we need a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. NCDs really are everyone’s business”
Professor Nigel Unwin, Project Leader

Ambitious commitments

Participants will explore a range of issues surrounding the Declaration’s ambitious commitments. Specific working groups will be set up to examine such areas as diet, food and food security; reducing alcohol related harm; tobacco control; physical activity and the built environment; promoting health in specific settings like workplaces and schools; financing NCD prevention and control; and advocacy and communication.

“It is not just going to be a talking shop. We want to make sure that we have action plans to present to the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in July 2016. It’s a golden opportunity to get everyone on the same page and really make a difference. We can’t waste it.”
Dr Alafia Samuels, Project Leader

Organisers are adamant that a concrete action plan will emerge from the two-day gathering.
“It is not just going to be a talking shop,” says Dr Alafia Samuels, Director of the Chronic Disease Research Centre and also a project team leader, “We want to make sure that we have action plans to present to the Ministers of Health in May and the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in July 2016. It’s a golden opportunity to get everyone on the same page and really make a difference. We can’t waste it.”

The workshop will be held on 24-25 February at the Hilton Trinidad, 1B Lady Young Road, Belmont, Port of Spain.

Workshop Concept Note

includes:

  • Background
  • Expected Outcomes
  • Inputs and Process and
  • An Outline of the Meeting Programme

Read in full here.

Workshop Live Streaming

See the opening ceremony, plenary and action planning sessions of the Evaluation of the 2007 Port of Spain Declaration on NCDs workshop on Wednesday, February 24th from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Thursday, February 25th, from 2:00-4:30 p.m.

The site will be accessible on Wednesday, February 24th from 8:15 a.m. and on Thursday, February 25th from 1:45 p.m.

Thie event has now passed for an update on the Workshop click here.

Thank you.