Port of Spain Summit Declaration as a successful outcome of global health diplomacy in the Caribbean region: a systematic review
Date
2019
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Health Promotion Perspective
Abstract
Background: The Caribbean region, with a population of around 17 million, has the highest
burden of chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the region of the Americas. It is
estimated that diabetes and hypertension has an economic impact of around 5%-8% of the
gross domestic product of the region. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand
how global health diplomacy contributed to the evolution of a collective Caribbean regional
summit declaration to address the epidemic of NCDs.
Methods: A systematic review was conducted, and all the major databases such as MEDLINE,
PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, Global Health database and other available
policy documents from various sources were screened. All articles available from 1910-2018
were extracted. From the total of 3223 titles, after filtering, the search narrowed down to 28
full texts that are included in this study. Policy documents and articles related to NCDs, global
health diplomacy, and the Port of Spain Declaration (POSD) were the focused themes.
Results: The Caribbean region showed significant commitment to the prevention and control
of NCDs through its united voice and commitment since 2001. The successful rounds of
negotiations for regional health have led to the formulation of the 15- point multisectoral
POSD “Uniting to Stop the Epidemic of Chronic NCDs.” This was the first Summit in the world
where the Heads of Government focused on prevention and control of NCDs with a clear
road map for policy implementation, collaboration, and collective action. This regional summit
declaration gained global attention and resulted in the United Nations Political Declaration on
the Prevention and Control of NCDs and as WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and
Control of NCDs 2013-2020.
Conclusion: There is enormous scope for this evolving area of Global Health Diplomacy in
addressing the future challenges of health security
Description
Table of Contents
Keywords
Global health, Diplomacy, Non-communicable Diseases, Epidemics, Caribbean region, Disease prevention
Citation
Chattu VK, Knight AW. Port of Spain Summit Declaration as a successful outcome of global health diplomacy in the Caribbean region: a systematic review. Health Promot Perspect. 2019;9(3):174-180. Published 2019 Aug 6. doi:10.15171/hpp.2019.25