Caribbean Wellness Day – Messages from Across the Region

Sep 15, 2024

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Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) is one of the regional responses geared towards increasing awareness and promoting measures among CARICOM Member States and their populations, to address the epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which continue to severely impact the health, economy and development of the Caribbean region.

The theme is – Power Through Collective Action: Good Health is Our Right.

A Message from the President of the HCC

A Message from Dr Kenneth Connell – President, Healthy Caribbean Coalition on this the occasion of Caribbean Wellness Day 2024

A Statement from the Healthy Caribbean Coalition on Caribbean Wellness Day 2024

The HCC – an alliance of over 85 civil Society organisations across the Caribbean – is proud join with partners the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), CARICOM and Ministries of Health to celebrate Caribbean Wellness Day 2024 under the theme Power Through Collective Action: Good Health is Our Right.

As we look towards the 4th United Nations High Level Meeting on NCDs (HLM4) one year away in September 2025, and beyond to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the HCC recalls the vision and leadership of CARICOM Heads of Government seventeen years ago when they endorsed the Port of Spain Declaration on NCDs (POSD). This seminal document embodied the theme of Collective Action – recognising the need for a whole of society and whole of government response to NCDs and catalysing the global community around NCDs triggering the first UNHLM on NCDs in 2011. Although there has been some progress on the goals of the POSD, much remains to be done as evidenced by the 2022 WHO NCD Progress Monitor and the 2024 POS Tracking Grid (prepared by the Sir George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre, UWI); and most concerning, by the continued unacceptably high burden of obesity and NCDs leading to preventable suffering and death of Caribbean citizens across our region.

This year’s CWD theme reminds us that Good Health is Our Right and we must continue to hold our leaders accountable to their commitments and play our respective roles in creating health-supporting environments. Over the next 12 months in lead up to the HLM4, HCC and our Caribbean CSO membership will join the global civil society community – under the banner TIME TO LEAD – calling on our political leaders to demonstrate fearless leadership in accelerating action on NCDs. As we did in 2018, HCC will unite with regional partners to agree on NCD advocacy priorities which will move us closer to achieving meaningful reductions in obesity and NCDs as we work towards achieving the SDGs.

On behalf of the Founding President and the Board of Directors of the HCC, we wish all Caribbean people a Happy Caribbean Wellness Day and look forward to leveraging the power of collective action to ensure every citizen’s right to good health as we work towards the prevention and control of NCDs in the Caribbean.

‘My Health My Right’ a Message from Members of the Healthy Caribbean Youth

Message from Dr Carla Barnett, CARICOM Secretary-General on Caribbean Wellness Day 2024

Caribbean Wellness Day 2024 is being observed on Saturday, 14 September, under the 2020-2024 theme, ‘Power through Collective Action’, and the 2024 sub-theme ‘Good Health is our Right!’

The observation of this day has its roots in the Port of Spain Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) of 2007, which expressed the commitment of CARICOM Member States to ensure the good health and well-being of the people of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). It promotes awareness of the impact of NCDs on the people of the Caribbean, along with measures to reduce the incidence of NCDs.

Influencing and empowering individuals to make healthier choices requires collective action and a multisectoral approach. National policies to support education on healthy food options, physical activity, and access to quality health services throughout the life course remain cornerstones to effectively address these diseases.

The Caribbean Community has been working to address NCDs, a leading cause of death in the Region, along with agencies such as the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC), an alliance of civil society to combat NCDs. The Community’s initiatives to actively support the rights of citizens to good health include the ‘Tobacco-Free Caribbean’ and ‘Caribbean Moves’ initiatives.

CARICOM Heads of Government have prioritised addressing crime and violence as a public health issue. Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, who leads on Energy and Security (Drugs and Illicit Arms) in the CARICOM Quasi-Cabinet, hosted a regional symposium in April 2023. A follow-up forum is to be hosted by the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, in November this year, as the Community continues to focus on this scourge of violence, which impacts our right to health and safety.

The Community’s efforts to increase agricultural production is intended to support good health by making more fresh food available and affordable, thereby reducing the demand for imported foods which are preserved and contain unhealthy levels of salt and fats.

As we mark Caribbean Wellness Day, I urge all Member States to continue their efforts to address the Region’s health challenges through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. I also encourage everyone to make those changes, such as consuming more fresh food and increasing activity levels, that will help to improve your health.

A healthy and happy Caribbean Wellness Day 2024 to all!