| Caribbean policy makers recently gathered in Trinidad and Tobago with the common aim of drafting a relevant and coherent five-year One Health Strategic Plan for the Caribbean. Guyana was represented by a team led byFrom left: (sitting) Ms. Maxine Parris-Aaron, Minister Karen Cummings, Dr. Samantha Kennedy, Ms. Camille Adams and (standing from left) Dr. Rennard Overton, Dr. Dwight Walrond and Mr. Richard Francois.Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings.The team consisted of Guyanese professionals who were selected to participate in the two-day workshop with the European Union/ACP funded project dubbed ‘One Health, One Caribbean, One Love’.Accompanying Minister Cummings were Senior Environmental Officer (Agriculture,Adam Shaheen Jersey, Fisheries and Tourism) – Environmental Protection Agency – Ms. Camille Adams; Agricultural Health Specialist – Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) – Ms. Maxine Parris-Aaron; Deputy Chief Executive Officer – Guyana Livestock Development Authority – Dr. Dwight Walrond; Veterinary Surgeon and Zoo Technologist – Guyana Livestock Development Authority – Dr. Rennard Overton; Technical Advisor to the Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Samantha Kennedy and Personal Assistant to the Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Mr. Richard Francois.The local team’s visit was funded by the ‘One Health, One Caribbean, One Love’ Project.The objective of the workshop was to make recommendations for approaches to the satisfactory governance of One Health in the Caribbean and agreed on the requirements for successful implementation of the agreed strategy at regional and country levels.The process of collaborative planning allowed for key decisions to be made on the direction for One Health in the Caribbean by 2023, as it relates to goals, priorities, and actions to be taken by Caribbean governments.Some of the issues addressed were: Assessing the One Health Landscape in the Caribbean, Reviewing of the One Health SWOT Analysis, Framing the Vision and Mission and Guiding Principles for One Health, and Defining the Strategic Priorities, Outcomes, Performance Measures for One Health for 2023, among others.“The One Health concept is a very important one that plays a pivotal role in the preservation of the health and wellbeing of humans, animals, and the environment. All Caribbean leaders must do what is necessary to ensure they advance the One Health agenda in their respective countries, particularly through an inter-sectoral, multi-disciplinary approach,” Minister Cummings underscored.According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations Strategic Action Plan, “One Health” is a unifying force intended to safeguard human and animal health, to reduce disease threats and to ensure a safe food supply through effective and responsible management of natural resources.The “One Health One Caribbean One Love” project is funded by European Union and implemented by the University of the West Indies (UWI), with the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), FAO, CIRAD (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development), Ministries of Agriculture, Public Health, and Grenada and St. Kitts as project partners. |
