UN Resident Coordinators Achieve Significant Breakthrough: Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and Syphilis in Three Caribbean Countries.

The United Nations (UN) is working in 162 countries and territories, collaborating on various projects and addressing a wide range of priorities, from climate action to food security. UN Resident Coordinators and their teams are dedicated to finding innovative solutions to better serve communities. This month, some highlights of their work include the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis in Belize, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

In these three countries, a certification initiative involving PAHO, UNICEF, UNAIDS, and the ministries of health has led to this significant milestone. This accomplishment is a major step forward in improving maternal and child health programs and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. The Caribbean leads the world 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 efforts in integrating disease prevention and treatment into maternal and child health services, as well as their commitment to human rights and strong national laboratory systems.

For more updates from UN teams around the world, be sure to check out our previous daily updates.