STRENGTHENING DISEASE SURVEILLANCE
- By INDI MCLYMONT, PANOSCOPE - PANOS CARIBBEAN
- NETWORK NEWS
PARAMARIBO, SURINAME - Several regional entities at the Caribbean Week of Agriculture are discussing ways to work together to strengthen the Caribbean’s disease surveillance systems especially those related to animal and human contact at a time when the region battles Chikungunya and the threat of Ebola.
‘We are not monitoring the spread of Chik V and Ebola. That would be done more by the Ministries of Health but these diseases show how quickly diseases can spread. Chik V started in one island and now its sweeping through the region. So we need to be prepared and have the surveillance techniques ready for any emerging diseases,’ said Dr Patricia Bedfford, Veterinary Health Specialist and Chair of the Caribbean Veterinary (CARIBVET) Communication Working group.
HAITI: MILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENTS IN AGRICULTURE
- By Indi Mclymont, PANOS CARIBBEAN
- NETWORK NEWS
Paramaribo, Suriname – The Caribbean Development Bank is looking to invest US$10 million in agricultural development in Haiti – joining countries such as the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and Jamaica, who are in varying stages of strengthening investment there.
‘We have 10 million set aside for investment in Agriculture. We will meet with Haiti’s Minister to see how we can invest some of that 10 million in agriculture in Haiti,’ said Luther St Ville, from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). He was addressing a seminar on ‘Haiti Agri-Food systems and Regional Linkages’ at the Caribbean Week of Agriculture held in Suriname from October 6-12.
PSAf PLAN ON COURSE
- By PSAf
- NETWORK NEWS
A preliminary report from the ongoing Mid Term Review of the PSAf Strategic Plan for 2012 to 2016 shows that the organisation is on track to achieve the goals it set out to achieve in the Strategic Plan.
With two and half years gone since the launch of the Strategic Plan, PSAf commissioned the Mid Term Review of the Organisation’s Strategic Plan to measure progress towards achieving the goals set in the Strategic Plan for 2012 to 2016. This is part of the organisation’s ongoing efforts to ensure that our interventions are evidence based and respond to the needs of different stakeholders.
The report states that: “PSAf programming has generally been effective, with various achievements recorded on specific program areas. All the strategic components have so far indicated considerable levels of progress”.
ENSEMBLE POUR LA BIODIVERSITÉ (FR)
- By PANOS CARAÏBE
- NETWORK NEWS
D’énormes efforts ont été consentis durant les 4 dernières années dans le cadre des travaux visant à conserver la biodiversité en Haïti. Au total, une trentaine de Zones Clés pour la Biodiversité (ZCB) sont répertoriées par le Ministère de l’Environnement en partenariat avec des Organisations Non-Gouvernementales œuvrant dans le domaine de la protection de l’environnement.
Des projets de recherches biologiques et de conservation d’espaces verts sont en cours d’exécution dans le pays. Ce qui devrait contribuer à créer un environnement sain selon plusieurs agronomes et techniciens en environnement. En dépit des actions entreprises, plusieurs aires protégées sont actuellement menacées ; des espèces animales et végétales, considérées comme patrimoine, sont en voie de disparition.
TRADITIONAL PRACTICES AND HIV IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
- By Mamoletsane Khati, PSAf
- NETWORK NEWS
Women and girls across Southern Africa continue to bear the brunt of traditions that support multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP) and other uncouth sexual practices.
Testimonies from community members and other stakeholders working with Panos Institute Southern Africa (PSAf) in the Communicating HIV Prevention in Southern Africa project show that the region has many cultural practices that expose women and girls to HIV/AIDS and related complications. This is also corroborated by statistics from international organisations leading the fight against HIV and AIDS, which indicate that the majority of people living with HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa are women and girls.
