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Haz click aquí para leer este posicionamiento en español. Port of Spain, May 8.- The Jamaica Family Planning Association (JFPA), St. Vincent Planned Parenthood Association (SVGPPA) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation Regional Office in the Americas and the Caribbean celebrate Belize, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines for receiving the World Health Organization’s certification for eliminating perinatal transmission* of HIV and Syphilis, a historic milestone for women and infants in the Caribbean. This significant achievement advances efforts to effectively prevent HIV transmission in our region.  We commend the commitment of governments, health professionals, civil society organizations and communities, including the Jamaica Family Planning Association (JFPA) and St. Vincent Planned Parenthood Association (SVGPPA), both IPPF Member Associations, to invest in adequate attention for HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health and rights.     For Eugenia Lopez Uribe – IPPF Americas and Caribbean Regional Director, “This juncture presents an excellent opportunity to enhance HIV prevention strategies and to show how a well-done prenatal care, where women have access to all necessary tests and treatments, including HIV tests and medicines, works. It's a collective victory: for science, which has advanced and shows its efficiency, and for decision makers who adopt evidence-based responses to HIV."   JFPA and SVGPPA have been key in responding to HIV in their countries, as they have been working to integrate HIV and STI services into its overall family planning offering. JFPA provides counselling, testing and referral of pregnant women at their first ante-natal visit, while SVGPPA offers HIV/STI screening and counselling, both working together with strong HIV organizations on the ground. 

March 4th 2024 - IPPF ACRO expresses deep concern about the recent upsurge in violence in Haiti and the release of over 4,000 prisoners in a gang-led jailbreak, which exacerbates the challenges faced by an already vulnerable population in a context of political and security crisis. To date, more than 300,000 people have been forced to flee their homes amid waves of indiscriminate killings, abductions, arson and rape. We call for the protection of children, women, and the most vulnerable, recognizing that in situations of conflict and instability currently prevailing in Haiti, gender-based violence against women and girls increases and human rights protections are significantly weakened. As millions of Haitians flee their homes or go into hiding, we must remember that civil unrest in any part of the world adversely affects access to  life-saving sexual and reproductive health services and rights disproportionately affectingwomen, girls, and members of the LGBTQI+ community As the Prime Minister of Barbados, the Honorable Mia Amor Mottley stated in her address to the UN General Assembly in 2022: "The world owes Haiti a solution.”. IPPF ACRO joins social movements, communities and international organizations to call for an immediate peaceful resolution to the conflict and the protection of human rights, especially for those most affected by the recent upsurge in violence.