(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Federal Republic of Germany has deepened its cooperation with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) through the extension of a financial agreement to support the work of the Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP).

The CARICOM Secretariat and Germany signed on Tuesday November 24, 2009 to commence the implementation of a second component of a Financial Cooperation Agreement, of five (5) Million Euros. The signing ceremony took place in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

In his remarks at the ceremony, His Excellency Edwin Carrington, CARICOM Secretary-General, described Germany’s commitment as “deeply appreciated and most timely” as PANCAP had just established its Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS for the period 2008-2012.

He explained that this second commitment by Germany came as a result of an independent external evaluation it commissioned in November 2007 to review the performance of the project funded by the original financial agreement of €8M, in 2005. That project was designed to prevent the spread of HIV infection through social and behaviour change communication in the Caribbean as well as to increase condom market sales and distribution and by extension condom use.

“The evaluation report concluded that the project was ‘a success in both its management and operations’ and recommended, unequivocally, its extension to a second phase,” Secretary-General Carrington said.

He stated that Germany’s continued support to the Region in the area of HIV and AIDS was significant, as PANCAP had scaled up its HIV prevention efforts among the most-at-risk population groups.

“The project now targets the important and often under-resourced indigenous populations with innovative social and behaviour change interventions,” he stated.

In addition, the Secretary-General said that attention would also be directed, in this phase, towards improving the reproductive health of women, including their sexual rights.

Mr. Carrington stated that Germany’s support had far reaching benefits as it filled an important gap by helping to mainstream HIV prevention into the education, health, youth, gender and even cultural programmes and policies of the Community.

Moreover, the Secretary-General said, the programme which the financing agreement would support was in tandem with the overall recognition enunciated in the Nassau Declaration by our Heads of Government in 2001, that the Health of the Region is the Wealth of the Region.

“We therefore see this programme which Germany is supporting as having important and wider implications for our integration movement by increasing the health and wellbeing of our peoples which is so important for sustaining a workforce capable of competing in the global arena.”

The Secretary-General also took the opportunity to laud the leadership and membership of PANCAP for what he described as “their outstanding efforts in driving the regional offensive against HIV and AIDS”.

He noted that PANCAP had grown “almost beyond recognition” since its establishment by CARICOM Heads of Government in 2001 and that its accomplishments had continued to “win national, regional and international acclaim”.

Contact: piu@caricom.org