Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. December 5, 2025. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) have reaffirmed their long-standing partnership to advance the regional response to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), one of the greatest public health challenges facing the Caribbean, by the renewing of a five (5) year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both agencies.
Building on over eight (8) years of collaboration, CARPHA and HCC signed a renewed commitment to enhance regional capacity to prevent and control NCDs by combining CARPHA’s scientific and technical leadership with HCC’s convening power and advocacy reach within civil society. The partnership strengthens civil society engagement, accelerates policy adoption, improves surveillance-to-action pathways, and amplifies health promotion across CARICOM Member States.
HCC President, Dr. Kenneth Connell emphasised the importance of civil society and regional public health institutions working hand-in-hand.
“CARPHA has been a trusted partner of the HCC for many years, and we are delighted to continue our partnership through the signing of this our 3rd consecutive MOU which will govern collaborative work between CARPHA and civil society over the next five years as we approach the 2030 SDGs. The MOU sends a powerful message that civil society is a valued strategic partner. Together our organisations will work to advance regional public health measures, demonstrating the power of civil society and CARPHA working hand in hand to create lasting impact”.
CARPHA Executive Director, Dr. Lisa Indar, welcomed the continued collaboration, noting that the burden of NCDs in our Region is significant and requires unified, sustained action.
“Our collaboration with HCC ensures that the evidence generated by CARPHA is translated into meaningful action at the community level. Together, we can accelerate policy implementation, empower our populations to make healthier choices, and build a more resilient Caribbean”.
The primary objectives of this partnership include:
- Knowledge Creation and Dissemination: Using traditional and new technologies and communication channels to generate, repackage and disseminate information grounded in scientific evidence and free of conflict of interest to civil society and key stakeholders in an effort to build health literacy, drive demand and foster political will for the accelerated implementation of NCD prevention and control policies and programmes.
- Capacity Development: Leveraging the unique expertise and resources within CARPHA and HCC to support the development and building of the full range of organisational capacities of HCC member Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
- Growing and Strengthening Partnerships: Strengthening regional and national partnerships, networks and coalitions, to support the whole-of-society and whole-of-government multisectoral, multistakeholder response to NCDs including supporting health-in-all-policies, policy coherence, and strengthening of tools to improve NCD/public health governance in order to safeguard policymaking from conflicts of interest and undue influence.
- Advocacy and Accountability: Strengthening advocacy and accountability capacity and action of CSOs to make the case, monitor, and support governments and other partners to meet national, regional and international commitments for action on NCDs and accelerate and increase effective action on development and implementation of NCD policies and programmes.
- Cross Cutting Collaborating and Co-advocating at the very highest levels of Regional Health/NCD Governance: To advance the regional NCD agenda including at the level of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD), the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) Heads of Government and through the OECS Commission Councils of governance.
CARPHA and HCC will improve the translation of data into action, amplify public health messaging, and support Member States in implementing effective, people-centred NCD prevention and control initiatives. This strengthened partnership comes at a critical time, as the Region continues to experience high rates of NCDs including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases; reaffirming both organisations’ commitment to working collaboratively to support Caribbean governments, civil society groups, and communities, ensuring a harmonised and resilient regional response to NCDs.
About the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC):
The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) is an alliance of civil society organisations based in the Caribbean whose work focuses directly and indirectly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including mental and neurological disorders and their risk factors. The HCC works closely with regional and international leaders in NCD prevention and control to leverage the power of civil society by strengthening and supporting its membership in the implementation of programmes aimed at reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with NCDs. As the only regional alliance of civil society organizations focused on NCDs, the HCC has a reputation as a strong, well-respected organisation in the Caribbean and beyond. Its legitimacy is reinforced by deep partnerships with influential entities at the national, regional and global levels including CARICOM governments, CARICOM Secretariat, OECS Commission, CARPHA, PAHO/WHO and the NCD Alliance. The collective work of the HCC demonstrates real policy influence and technical capacity - driving meaningful changes which influence the lives of people living with NCDs and drive environments which support healthy behaviours for all Caribbean citizens.
About the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA):
The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is the lead, single regional public health agency for the Caribbean, established in 2011 to address public health priorities for the region. It was formed by merging five existing regional health institutes and provides services including disease surveillance, laboratory testing, emergency response, and capacity building. CARPHA's mission is to build member states' capacity to prevent disease and promote health and wellness through leadership, partnership and innovation in public health.
