CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett today reaffirmed the Caribbean Community’s commitment to health as a pillar of sustainable development at the opening of the Second Joint Meeting of Ministers of Health of the African and Caribbean Regions in Ethiopia.
Barnett thanked the Government and People of Ethiopia for their hospitality and acknowledged the African Union and the Health Development Partnership and Cooperation (HeDPAC) for helping convene the meeting.
She said CARICOM’s focus on health has long been guided by the Caribbean Cooperation in Health (CCH) framework, now in its fourth phase, which allows member states to align strategies, mobilise resources and take joint action.
“Health has long been a central focus of the regional development agenda in CARICOM. Guided by the Caribbean Cooperation in Health (CCH) framework, now in its fourth iteration, our Governments have collectively identified and continue to address priority health concerns that affect the people of the Caribbean Community. The Caribbean Cooperation in Health framework has provided the platform for aligning strategies, mobilising resources, and advancing joint action on Health across Member States,” Barnett said.
She cited CARICOM’s leadership on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including the 2007 Port-of-Spain Declaration, which led to a UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs in 2011. Regional initiatives such as Caribbean Wellness Day, fiscal policies targeting unhealthy products and campaigns like Caribbean Moves have promoted healthier lifestyles, she said.
Barnett also pointed to progress in maternal and child health, HIV prevention and emergency response, noting the Caribbean Public Health Agency’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These are achievements of which we are proud. They reflect the strength of regional integration and the good outcomes that are possible when the small states are determined to act together for the common good,” she said.
But the pandemic also revealed vulnerabilities, she added, including weak health financing, workforce retention and supply chain gaps. She welcomed support from the African Medical Supplies Platform during the crisis.
Barnett called for deeper Africa-Caribbean cooperation on shared challenges such as NCDs, infectious diseases and limited fiscal space. She pointed to the CARICOM-HeDPAC memorandum of understanding as a framework for collaboration on health workforce development, joint procurement, financing and primary care.
“This second joint meeting is a clear signal that Africa and the Caribbean are working more closely together,” she said. “We are bound by history, and we share a vision for the future. Our responsibility is not only to exchange ideas, but to agree on concrete actions that can be pursued collectively by our governments and supported by our regional institutions and partners.” (CARICOM)
