The stakeholders stressed the urgency of formulating and communicating CARICOM's position to both the Region and the international community. Throughout the two-day meeting, participants engaged in extensive discussions covering topics such as health systems, regional health security, and cooperation. Director of the Pan American Health Organization, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, highlighted key areas requiring collaborative action, including the implementation of evidence-based standards for Front of Package Warning Labels, agreement on cross-border control measures for communicable diseases, and enhancing the availability of healthcare workers across the Caribbean as a collective effort.

She stated, “This Region has faced its fair share of health crises. But every cloud has a silver lining. One optimistic spin-off of the pandemic is the aspiration of some Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to produce their own medicines and medical supplies.”

She reiterated her belief in regional cooperation, emphasizing that the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated that addressing contemporary public health challenges necessitates unity and collective action. “CARICOM was founded with this understanding. It channels the collective capacities of its Member States and provides a productive forum to discuss international and joint technical cooperation.”

This decision was made during the 45th Ministerial Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) – Health, which took place from September 23-24 in Washington.