COHSOD

(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana) The Thirteenth Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has adopted a recommendation by the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) for the quadrennial staging of what will be known as The CARICOM Invitational Games.

The first games are set for 2009 after the Olympics in Trinidad and Tobago and will include as core sports, athletics, aquatics, netball and a maximum of seven other sports to be chosen by the country hosting the games.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) A Special Meeting of the CARICOM Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on 9-10 June 2006 agreed on a framework of action for a more positive role of the national and regional educational sectors in HIV and AIDS response.

  (CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Eighteenth Meeting of the Caribbean Community Council of Ministers will take place on Friday 19 May in Georgetown, Guyana. The Council is expected to consider the agenda and arrangements for the Twenty-Seventh Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM slated for 3-6 July in St Kitts and Nevis.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Persons living with HIV/AIDS in Member countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) will soon benefit from the supply of anti-retroviral drugs which is being provided by Brazil for the next five years.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana) The Thirteenth Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), ended on Friday, 28 October with wide ranging recommendations for the development of the Region’s youth, particularly in light of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) scheduled to come on stream in January 2006.

The Thirteenth Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which focussed on Youth, Sports and Drugs, was convened at Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown, Guyana on 26-28 October 2005 under the theme, “Youth in the CSME_ Perspectives, Prospects and Challenges.”

I am pleased to welcome you on behalf of the CARICOM Secretariat and in particular the members of the Directorate of Human and Social Development. This past year has been a very active period for the Directorate and, indeed, the entire Secretariat. As you know, 2005 has been designated the Year of the CSME when it is expected that all Countries of the Community would have fulfilled the requirements for giving effect to the free movement of goods and services. Well we are down to the wire so to speak.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana) Caribbean Community (CARICOM) officials responsible for human development will advance talks for the establishment of a Demand Reduction Programme for Drugs when they meet under the umbrella of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) in Guyana this week.

The idea of the Commission for Health and Development arose out of the concern that the Report of the WHO Commission on Macro-economic and Health, though it provided a dynamic frame of reference did not adequately portray the Caribbean situation.

Hence the Ministers of Health at COHSOD VII in April 2002 recommended that a task Force be established and the Heads of Government in July 2002 mandated the establishment of the Caribbean Commission on health and Development.  In January 2003 the Commission was established with the Support of the WHO- Macro economic Committee.

The Tenth Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was convened at the Hilton Tobago Hotel, Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago on 28-30 April 2004 under the Chairmanship of the Hon. John Rahael, Minister of Health, Trinidad and Tobago and under the theme, Investing in Human Resources with Special Reference to Health, Sustainable Development and the Environment.