(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) There is rich and diverse literature on human rights and HIV. The governments of the world have made comprehensive commitments on human rights and HIV in the “Declaration of Commitment on HIV and AIDS” (2001) and the “Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS 2006.”

However, there is a relative paucity of information or discussion about human rights and HIV in the Caribbean. Except for individual and anecdotal references to abuses or negotiation for those rights, there does not seem to be any significant body of work that has systematically explored the field.

With this in mind, the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill Campus) in collaboration with the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), UNAIDS, UNDP and AIDS2031 among others will host a two day symposium on HIV and Human Rights in the Caribbean. The symposium will be held from September 13-14, at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill in Barbados.

The goal of the symposium is to sensitise policy makers and the judiciary through production of material from the meeting that speaks to the issue of HIV and human rights and make recommendations on guidelines to deal with situations arising from the issue.

The Acting Prime Minister of Barbados, the Hon. Freundel Stuart will open the symposium and participants will include Sir George Alleyne, Chancellor, University of the West Indies and UN Special Envoy for HIV and AIDS, Caribbean; Dr. Ernest Massiah, UNAIDS Regional Director; Mrs. Susan Timberlake, Senior Law and Human Rights Adviser, UNAIDS, Geneva; Dr. Edward Greene, Assistant Secretary General, CARICOM; Ministers, people living with HIV (PLWH), and experts in law and HIV.

It is expected that the symposium will result in the sensitization of the judiciary and senior policy makers to the issue of HIV and Human Rights in the context of the Caribbean experience and a reduction of stigma and discrimination against PLWH. The symposium will also put forward a recommendation of strategies for regional governments to move the human rights agenda forward in relation to PLHIV.

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org