The CARICOM Secretariat is marking World Hepatitis Day 2025 with a powerful message: It’s time to talk, test, and take action. This year’s theme, “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down,” calls for everyone, not just health professionals, to understand, speak up, and help stop viral hepatitis.
“The [PAHO-CARICOM Joint Sub-regional Cooperation Strategy (JSCS) 2025-2029] is a continuation of a process. CARICOM has prioritised health outcomes for a long time, and this long-standing commitment of CARICOM will continue.”
Today, 22 July, marks a major milestone as CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett and PAHO Director Dr Jarbas Barbosa signed the PAHO-CARICOM Joint Sub-regional Cooperation Strategy (JSCS) 2025–2029!
(CARIFORUM Directorate, CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) - The 11th European Development Fund Programme for Strengthening Climate Resilient Health Systems in the Caribbean came under review when the Programme’s Steering Committee met in Bridgetown, Barbados on 20 June 2025.
Health leaders, technical experts, and country representatives from 19 CARICOM Member States have gathered in Trelawny, Jamaica, for the Caribbean Workshop on the Strengthening of EMTCT Plus within Maternal and Child Health (MCH). This timely workshop celebrates the region’s leadership in eliminating mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and syphilis and reinforces a collective commitment to strengthen prevention and response efforts against HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B.
“Now more than ever, working together as a unified Region will be critical to the continued strengthening and resilience of our healthcare systems in the face of the changing geopolitical and global economic landscape.”
The project aligns with Barbados’ wider goals under the CARICOM 25 by 2025 (now 25 X 2030) agenda to reduce food imports and improve youth engagement in agriculture.
"The project encourages local youth to understand, appreciate, and advocate for the protection of these vital ecosystems, aiming to inspire lifelong environmental commitment among the next generation.”
“A number of our Member States have made advances in addressing Human Resource for Health (HRH) challenges; however, the Region’s persistent and perennial problem of migration of healthcare workers and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely intensified the gaps in availability, distribution and quality of HRH, and placed at peril, hopes for achieving universal access and universal coverage.”