crime and violence as a public health issue
-
16 Days of Activism: CARICOM SG calls for an End to Digital Abuse against Women and Girls
CARICOM stands in solidarity with the global community in commemorating the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (25 November – 10 December). In her message, CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett highlights the urgent need to confront violence against women and girls, including the growing threat of digital abuse. She reaffirms the Region’s commitment to building safe, inclusive societies where…
Read More » -
CARICOM-UNDP High-Level Talks Advance Public Health Approach to Crime in the Caribbean
Assistant Secretary-General, Foreign and Community Relations, Ms Elizabeth Solomon CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations, Elizabeth Solomon, addressed the CARICOM–UNDP High-Level Meeting on Addressing Crime and Violence as a Regional Challenge: Integrating Health, Justice, and Social Policy. In her remarks, Solomon underscored the urgent need for a coordinated regional response to violent crime, which she described as a…
Read More » -
Updated CARICOM Cyber Security and Cybercrime Action Plan (CCSCAP) Launched
The updated CARICOM Cyber Security and Cybercrime Action Plan (CCSCAP) 2025, a critical strategic blueprint designed to safeguard the Caribbean Region’s accelerating digital transformation, was launched on 31 October 2025, in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The launch, which was spearheaded by the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime andSecurity (IMPACS) in collaboration with the European Union–Latin America and Caribbean (EULAC) Digital…
Read More » -
CARICOM Statement | Adoption Of UN Security Council Resolution 2793 on Haiti
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) welcomes the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2793 that will transition the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission into a Gang Suppression Force (GSF) with a more robust UN-authorised mandate. This provides new hope for an end to violence and for the restoration of public safety for the people of Haiti, who have suffered gravely at…
Read More » -
Grenada Leads Regional Charge against Non-Communicable Diseases with PAHO Hearts Initiative
Grenada has officially achieved national scale-up of the PAHO HEARTS initiative, marking a major milestone in the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are no longer just a public health concern in Grenada—they are a national priority. In 2019, NCDs accounted for over 80% of all deaths in the country, with cardiovascular diseases responsible for four of the…
Read More » -
Caribbean Health Leaders Call for Urgent Action to Build Resilient Health Systems amidst Climate and Economic Threats
“Diseases carry profound financial consequences, resulting in losses due to reduced productivity and rising healthcare costs. Such realities highlight that health is not just a social priority; it is an economic imperative.”– Hon. Philip Telesford | Minister of Health, Wellness, and Religious Affairs | Grenada and Chair of the 50th COHSOD-Health CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana | Saturday, 27…
Read More » -
COHSOD–Health Chair Urges Stronger Health Systems to Withstand Climate and Financial Shocks
“Our health systems remain vulnerable to hurricanes and floods. These events remind us of the urgent need for resilient health systems and integrated disaster response strategies. The evolving economic landscape has added another layer of complexity. Diseases carry profound financial consequences, resulting in losses due to reduced productivity and rising healthcare costs. Such realities highlight that health is not just…
Read More » -
Message | Dr Carla Barnett | Secretary-General, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) | Caribbean Wellness Day | 13 September 2025
Even as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) makes progress in advancing sustainable development, we face the continuing and costly challenge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes remain the leading causes of illness and death across our Region. Lifestyle factors, such as tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and excessive alcohol consumption, erode the health of our people,…
Read More » -
“This Plan is both Responsive and Forward-Looking”: CARICOM DSG on CARPHA’s Strategy to Tackle Regional Health Crises
“The CARICOM Secretariat sees [the CARPHA Strategic Plan 2025–2030] as an opportunity to strengthen structured collaboration between the Secretariat, CARPHA and other regional entities, and a road map to guide how Member States align their priorities and collaborate on critical regional imperatives. Ladies and gentlemen, this will no doubt require coordinated approaches to resource mobilisation, clear implementation roles across the…
Read More » -
CARICOM Chair Calls for Regional Unity to Disrupt Criminal Networks
“I am on record as saying that we need to launch a war on gangs of a similar magnitude and nature to the war on terror.” Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MPChair, CARICOMPrime Minister, Jamaica CARICOM Heads of Government have agreed to tackle the Region’s crime and security challenge with the adoption of the Montego Bay Declaration…
Read More »