The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently recognized Belize, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines for successfully eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. This accomplishment marks a significant milestone in strengthening maternal and child health programs, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals, and working towards ending AIDS as a public health threat.
As part of this certification initiative, PAHO, UNICEF, UNAIDS, and the ministries of health from these countries collaborated to achieve this remarkable feat. With this achievement, Belize, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines now join 20 other countries that have been certified for similar accomplishments. The Caribbean region leads the way with 11 certified countries.
Key officials at the certification event included PAHO/WHO Director Jarbas Barbosa, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Christine Stegling, and UN Resident Coordinator Dennis Zulu. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commended the countries for their dedication to integrating disease prevention and treatment into maternal and child health services as well as their commitment to human rights and robust national laboratory systems.
In addition to this achievement, UN teams are currently working on various programs in 162 countries and territories around the world. These teams are using innovative methods to problem-solve and better serve communities while addressing priorities such as climate action, food security, gender equality, and civilian safety. To stay updated on the latest news from UN teams worldwide
