(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Haiti’s Minister of Health, the Hon. Dr. Florence Duperval Guillaume has called on the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) to prioritise regional programming on stigma and discrimination.

Dr. Duperval Guillaume was delivering remarks on Wednesday, at the official opening of the Eighteenth Meeting of the Executive Board of PANCAP, in Saint Lucia, in his capacity as Chair of the Board.

While acknowledging the Partnership’s accomplishments over the past eleven years of its existence, the minister noted that there was much work still to be done.

The Minister called on the Executive Board to ensure that investments in HIV programming reflected the evidence, and for more strategic information to better characterize the epidemic.

“The general consensus is that stigma and discrimination are still widespread…. the prevalence of HIV in most at risk populations such as sex workers and men who have sex with men is far greater than in the general population and HIV investment and programming do not quite reflect this,” she said.

Alluding to the imminent closure of the PANCAP Stigma and Discrimination Unit, the Minister encouraged international organizations working in this field to build upon the work done by this Unit and to take on board “the lessons learned and the gains made.”

In her brief welcome remarks, the Hon. Alvina Reynolds, Saint Lucia’s Minister of Health, reminded the gathering of the early days of the fledging Partnership, which held its first Annual General meeting in Saint Lucia in 2001. She stated that since then, “successive governments have aggressively responded both at home and in the wider region to ensure that the epidemic was under control.” She reaffirmed Saint Lucia’s commitment to the wider concept of integration and to the Region’s response to the HIV & AIDS epidemic.

The official opening was chaired by the PANCAP Coordinating Unit Director, Ms. Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland who emphasized the enduring importance of the PANCAP partnership approach. Dean of the CARICOM Youth Ambassador, Mr. Kerry Frank gave the vote of thanks.

The two-day Meeting will review, among other issues, approaches to improving coordination within the Partnership, particularly between the OECS sub-region and wider Caribbean and between key regional and international agencies working in the area of HIV & AIDS stigma and discrimination.

The Executive Board of PANCAP provides policy guidance on the effective management and operation of the Partnership and approves and directs all PANCAP projects. PANCAP is a regional Partnership which was established in February 2001 to respond to the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean. Its vision is to substantially reduce the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean through sustainable systems of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

The meeting immediately precedes the 16th Special Meeting of the CARICOM Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD), which also has its focus on Health and which will address critical issues pertinent to HIV and AIDS, as well the Caribbean Public Health Agency, (CARPHA).

CONTACT: Volderine Hackett pancap@caricom.org
                                           piu@caricom.org; vhackett@caricom.org
                                           Website: www.pancap.org