Healthy Caribbean Coalition

22/10/2026

Minister of Education Transformation in The Hon. Chad Blackman emphasied the whole of society approach in tackling Childhood Obesity, which is a precursor for several non-communicable diseases including type 2 diabetes, several cancers and heart disease.

For children branded food items or branded items with high sugar, salt or fatty foods constantly in their faces can contribute to oversampling of those foods. This coupled with lack of movement everyday has a negative impact on their health.

The Launch of the Barbados School Nutrition Policy Awards will recognise those who have contributed in a positive way to a healthier school environment.

BSNP Heart & Stroke Foundation Pan Am Health Organization Media Resource Department 🇧🇧 Ministry of Education Barbados Min of Health and Wellness
Healthy Caribbean Coalition Hilton Barbados Resort

22/10/2026

20/10/2026

HCC at the World Cancer Congress 2026

HCC Executive Director, Maisha Hutton attended the 2026 World Cancer Congress in Hong Kong where she participated in a panel session co-hosted by the World Cancer Research Fund International and the McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer. The session entitled: Labelling Unhealthy Products for Cancer Prevention: Turning Evidence Into Action explored the value of labelling unhealthy products as a highly visible, evidence-based policy tool to raise awareness, shift social norms and catalyse cancer prevention action globally. HCC presented Lessons learned from attempting to introduce a regional front of pack nutrition label in the CARICOM region. The session also served as an opportunity for WCRF to launch their most recent Policy Brief - Cancer warning labels on alcohol: Mandating what’s missing.

Panelists included: Sheila Gilheany, Alcohol Action Ireland (Ireland), Mary Grace Anne Rosales-Sto. Domingo, McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer (Australia), Pubudu Sumanasekara, MOVENDI International (Sri Lanka).

19/10/2026

The HCC Partners with Amagi Health Ltd. for Caribbean Brain Health Summit 2026: Connecting NCD Prevention, Care and Caribbean Development

16–22 November 2026 · Caribbean countries, diaspora communities and online

Amagi Health Ltd is convening the inaugural Caribbean Brain Health Summit (CBHS), a Caribbean-led, decentralised and hybrid initiative connecting brain health and dementia with the region’s wider NCD, equity and development agenda.

The Summit will bring together civil society, people with lived experience and care partners, health professionals, researchers, employers and policy stakeholders. Its focus extends beyond awareness to practical readiness: prevention, primary care, workforce capability, family support, Caribbean-specific evidence and accountable follow-through.

Whatever their disease-specific focus, civil-society organisations have a place in this conversation: healthier environments, prevention, equitable services and support for families connect brain health with the work they already do. The Summit will also examine the wider development implications—from learning and workforce participation to unpaid care, household income and demands on public services.

Organisations can contribute existing expertise, link a suitable activity to the Brain Health Relay, help shape country priorities or identify one achievable next step—without taking on a separate programme.

The Summit will also advance consultation on the Caribbean Call to Action on Brain Health, a proposed non-binding framework for non-state stakeholders. Looking towards the twentieth anniversary of the Declaration of Port-of-Spain in 2027, the longer-term aim is to build a sustained Caribbean network linking evidence, advocacy, policy and implementation.

Civil-society organisations and other interested participants are invited to register their interest in attending, contributing, hosting an activity or exploring collaboration. Confirmed programme details will be added as arrangements are finalised.

Register interest: https://amagisummit.org

16/10/2026

HCC/HCY joins the WHO Youth Council for another term!

The WHO Youth Council convened its 2026–2028 membership for the first time, bringing together focal points from 25 youth-led and youth-serving organisations in Berlin on 9–10 October 2026, ahead of the just completed World Health Summit.

The new term welcomes 11 organisations joining the Council for the first time and 14 returning member organisations. Together, they represent young people working across medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, mental health, HIV, nutrition, climate, health diplomacy, foreign policy and more.

The meeting opened with welcome remarks from Dr Gaudenz Silberschmidt, Director, Partnerships and Financing at WHO, the Council's leadership, F/A/Q Health and the Bertelsmann Stiftung. A roundtable on elevating youth leadership in global health governance linked the three areas of the Council's Youth Declaration on Creating Healthy Societies to the redesign of the global health architecture, followed by an overview of the Council's role in the Global Health Architecture consultation process.

Members reviewed the achievements, challenges and lessons of the 2024–2026 term and were introduced to the Council's terms of reference, ways of working, Steering Committee, working groups and key projects. A fireside chat explored WHO's mandate on youth leadership, governance and inclusion across the Organisation.

View the full PR at:
https://www.who.int/news/item/09-10-2026-who-youth-council-welcomes-2026-2028-members-in-berlin

The organisation is currently represented by Danielle Walwyn and Jenée Farrell.

Healthy Caribbean Youth World Health Organization Pan Am Health Organization

15/10/2026

In the Caribbean, the conversation about youth participation carries unique historical weight. For centuries, external colonial powers controlled nearly all decisions affecting Caribbean societies, establishing a long-standing hierarchy that centered external knowledge, dismissed local voices, and framed Caribbean communities as followers rather than decision-makers. While formal independence restructured political authority across the region, it did not automatically erase the deep-seated norms that exclude marginalized groups — including young people and people living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) — from health governance. Decades after independence, questions about whose input counts, whose expertise is legitimized, and who gets to shape health policy remain central to advancing equitable health outcomes across CARICOM nations.

HCC Advocacy Officer Jenee Farrell has authored a valuable document which all need to engage with. Thank you to those media houses which have shared this Op-Ed, helping us to reach everyone across the .

St. Lucia Times News
St Vincent Times News Official
DominicaNewsOnline.com
Antigua News
Kaieteur News
The Peoples' Tribune
CaribScopeNews

14/10/2026

Meaningful youth engagement is more than opening the door.

According to Zhané, Grace and Shelley - it means thinking about what young people need to meaningfully participate — from addressing logistical barriers and building capacity to providing mentorship and support.

Check out the Guidance Note on Meaningful Engagement in our bio for more on how we can meaningfully engage youth!















Thank you to and and for bringing this vision to life.

13/10/2026

Decisions about young people's health and futures should not be made without them! 🗣️🌎

Young people bring fresh perspectives, lived experiences and innovative ideas that are essential to shaping more inclusive, relevant and effective health policies and programmes.

But having youth voices in the room is only the beginning. We must also create spaces where their perspectives are valued, their contributions can influence decisions, and meaningful intergenerational collaboration can thrive.

🎥 Hear from Zhané, Grace and Shelley on why youth voices must be prioritised in health decision-making and what meaningful youth engagement should look like in practice.

📖 Explore our Guidance Note on Meaningful Youth Engagement through the link in our bio on Instagram.

Special thanks to and for bringing this vision to life!

12/10/2026

Meaningful youth engagement must include young people living with NCDs.

Their lived experiences bring invaluable perspectives on the realities of living with and managing NCDs — perspectives that should help shape the policies, programmes and services intended to support them.

Part of engagement is leading with care and empathy - hear from Shelley and Zhané on their suggestions for engaging young people living with NCDs.

Check out the Guidance Note on Meaningful Engagement in our bio for more on how we can meaningfully engage youth!

Commonwealth Foundation

Thank you to for bringing this vision to life.

03/10/2026

Our experiences matter. Our stories matter.

Meaningful youth engagement creates opportunities for young people to openly share their experiences, perspectives and ideas — and know that what they share is valued.

When we create spaces to listen and learn from young people, their lived experiences can help shape more responsive policies, programmes and solutions.

Listen to Jennifer’s take on why young people need to be involved, especially in discussions related to NCD prevention and control

Check out the Guidance Note on Meaningful Engagement in our bio for more on how we can meaningfully engage youth!



Thank you to for bringing this vision to life.