(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana)     The Executive Directors of the Spouses of CARICOM Leaders Action Network (SCLAN) are pleased to announce the appointment of Jacqueline Dragone as the new Executive Director, effective March 1, 2019.

Ms. Dragone will be responsible for leading the Coordinating Mechanism beginning with the implementation of the project activities under the Gilead Sciences Inc. grant funding for the two demonstration projects geared towards supporting and rolling out PrEP in Belize and Guyana. She will also secure future funding opportunities in the areas of HIV, gender -based violence, teenage pregnancy and cervical cancer.

Ms. Dragone is an international development professional with a career spanning the non-profit and international organization sectors. She holds a Master’s Degree in International Development and Management with 20 years of experience in the Americas and the Caribbean. She specializes in the fields of public health, sustainable development, project management and resource mobilization.

Chair of SCLAN, Mrs. Kim Simplis-Barrow, Spouse of the Prime Minister of Belize, stated that “We are excited to have her on board and look forward to a very successful initiative.”

The creation of SCLAN as a non-governmental organization was endorsed by CARICOM Heads of Government at their Inter-Sessional Meeting in Guyana in February 2017. It was formally established last September, with Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow, Spouse of the Prime Minister of Belize, being elected Chair.

SCLAN’s mission is a Caribbean free from HIV, gender-based violence, teenage pregnancy and cervical cancer, with long term goals set forth by the global community including former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Every Woman, Every Child Global Initiative and the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016-2030).

For more information, please contact the Office of the Special Envoy for Women and Children at 223-1941.

Caption: Ms. Jacqueline Dragone, new Executive Director of SCLAN

15/2019