(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana - Thursday, 10 September 2026) - On World Suicide Prevention Day 2026, commemorated under the theme – Changing the Narrative on Suicide - the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) joins the global community in calling for stronger action to protect mental health, prevent suicide, and build CARICOM societies in which no person feels isolated, rejected or without hope.
Suicide remains a serious public health concern across the Americas and particularly for the Caribbean Community. According to 2021 data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago recorded some of the highest age?standardised suicide mortality rates in the Americas: 26.4, 22.4, and 11.6 deaths per 100,000 population, respectively. These figures underscore that suicide prevention must extend beyond the health sector. Families, communities, schools, workplaces, faith-based organisations, civil society and governments all play a role in creating environments where people feel valued, connected and able to seek help without fear or shame.
For PANCAP, World Suicide Prevention Day is also an important opportunity to address the continuing impact of HIV-related stigma and discrimination on mental health and well-being.
CARICOM has made significant progress with its HIV response. HIV is now a manageable chronic health condition when people have access to effective diagnosis, treatment and care. Yet, despite advances in prevention and treatment, people living with HIV continue to experience stigma, discrimination, rejection and social exclusion.
Evidence from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) demonstrates that HIV-related stigma and discrimination can negatively affect mental health and quality of life and can discourage people from accessing HIV testing, prevention, treatment and care. Social exclusion, discrimination, isolation and inadequate social support are also recognised factors that can contribute to vulnerability to suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
Dr Wendy Telgt-Emanuelson, Director of the PANCAP Coordinating Unit, underscored the importance of compassion and inclusion in the regional HIV response:
“Suicide prevention is about protecting life, dignity and hope. No person living with HIV should feel rejected or isolated because of their status. We must replace stigma with understanding, discrimination with inclusion, and isolation with compassion. Every life has value, and no one should have to face difficult moments alone.”
Knowledge is an important part of that response. PANCAP encourages everyone across CARICOM to know the facts about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Accurate information empowers people to make informed and healthy sexual choices, access HIV and STI testing, use available prevention options, and seek treatment when needed. Knowledge should also change the way we treat one another.
On this World Suicide Prevention Day, PANCAP calls on the Community to replace fear with facts, stigma with understanding, discrimination with inclusion, and isolation with connection.
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