(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) It is with a deep sense of pride and humility that I stand in this hallowed hall of the Parliament of Catalonia which is associated with such a spectacular history, dating back to the Eleventh Century. Your parliamentary history as we witnessed in the informative guided tour preceding this ceremony, included the Counts of Barcelona and the Corts Catalones, composed of the three estates representing Church, feudal nobles and citizens of Royal Towns such as Barcelona. Notwithstanding, the reforms and “abolishment” that accompanied this history, the Parliament of Barcelona has emerged as a democratically elected and representative body of international stature and acclaim.
Señora Presidente, on behalf of the Caribbean Community, and the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), I express my profound gratitude to you and your colleagues, the Department of Health and the fundacia SIDA/Societat for your gracious hospitality. I am also pleased to acknowledge the presence of Dr Luiz Loures, Deputy Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) which has been an outstanding partner and leader in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
The Commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the XIV AIDS Conference is particularly significant for me and for the Caribbean. It was a landmark. I had the honour to sign the Agreement with six pharmaceutical companies in this great city of Barcelona, thereby triggering a new era of affordable drugs for people in the Caribbean as well as in other regions that followed our example. So much so that after 10 years, and with the combination of scientific- biomedical and behavioural – research; passionate advocacy of civil society and creative leadership, we can truly and optimistically pronounce the aspirational goal to achieve an AIDS-free generation
Señora Presidente, we in the Caribbean Community are engaged with our colleagues in Latin America and indeed with partners in Europe and throughout the World to make the end of AIDS a reality. But we can only do so with a concerted effort to ensure that the HIV programmes are adequately funded. We can only do so, in this era of scarce resources only if we embark on a judicious process of shared responsibility, engaging the private sector, placing emphasis on accountability and keeping the commitments to accelerate the response for investments in treatment and prevention. We can do so, by stepping up the demands for the elimination of stigma and discrimination in keeping with the fundamental principle of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that is “equality for all”
I am pleased to note that the 2012 UNAIDS Report identified the progress that has been made in the Caribbean in the 10 years since the Barcelona AIDS Conference. AIDS-related deaths have decreased by some 50%, and more people living with AIDS have access to anti-retroviral drugs. There is greater awareness of the need to increase access to treatment for the most at- risk populations and to make special provision for the poor and vulnerable. In this regard, the Governments of the Caribbean in collaboration with UNAIDS are pursuing an investment strategy for financing of HIV. Such a strategy is essential for identifying priorities, measurable targets and tangible results.
Señora Presidente, our targets are clearly stated in the PANCAP Declaration issued on its 10th Anniversary Annual General Meeting in November 2010. Then, the Partnership agreed to the following targets by 2015:
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The elimination of mother-to-child transmission;
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Increased access to care and treatment by 80%;
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Reduction of new infections by 50%; and
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Acceleration of the agenda to achieve human rights for PLHIV including the elimination of travel restrictions for People living with HIV/AIDS.
As you can see, these targets are quite consistent with those in the Political Declaration of the UN High Level Meeting (June 2011). Indeed, we in the Caribbean Community entertain the hope of being the first region in the developing world to eliminate mother-to-child transmission by 2015. After all, we did achieve this feat for polio and small pox in the 1980s. We can do it again for HIV
Yet, there can be slippage. While chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have emerged as a priority, it is important to recognize that HIV is both an infectious and an NCD as the infected are living longer. HIV also remains in the top five causes of death for the Caribbean for the age group 20 – 49 years. There are other important facts:
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At least 50 new HIV infections take place in the Caribbean per day;
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At least 33 deaths per day in the region are as a result of HIV;
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Infection rates although stabilized and decreasing in some countries still show increasing patterns in some for example Trinidad and Tobago, Belize and Barbados;
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Prevalence rates exceptionally high in selected groups such as men who have sex with men (32%), Transgender sex workers (24%), youth (4%), Prisoners (5%);
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ARV coverage still at regional average of 48% with only Barbados, Cuba and Guyana achieving universal coverage.
We are pleased to note the results of a breakthrough scientific study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released last week has shown that one in four persons in Barbados has completely suppressed the HIV virus , supporting the benefits of Antiretroviral Treatment and indeed the growing awareness of treatment as prevent. We in the Caribbean are resolved to press forward with universal coverage and for this we are taking very opportunity to make this a reality and seek the support of our colleagues and friends in Barcelona.
So Señora Presidente, as we celebrate in Barcelona, we must take the opportunity to check any reversal in the gains we have so far achieved, and to plan for the difficult fight that still lies ahead. Among the lessons learned from the past 30 years is that success revolves around openness and innovation. On the one hand, sharing information has dispelled irrational fears, encouraged debate and challenged stigma. On the other, the case for treatment as prevention was preceded by a shift from drug approval protocols to task shifting among medical teams and from fixed dose drug combinations to hiring “campagnatuers” (community practitioners) to deliver community-based services.
I am indeed very pleased that civil society has been integral in the planning of this celebration and that its members form such a vibrant presence in the Parliament today. This is appropriate. Civil Society is an essential ingredient for sustaining openness and innovation. From the start, the accelerated response was fuelled by the most ambitious AIDS activism. It was the activist pioneers that fought this epidemic from the start. They tackled the structural forces of prejudice, social exclusion and economic injustice. Today let us draw on that energy of activism to rekindle the values that inspire global development. The World Bank President, Dr. Jim Kim, aptly illustrates the vision in a statement during the Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C. last week (April 2013) when he said “real development is grounded in solidarity, courage, and respect for the dignity of all people and the unrelenting demand for justice”
It is heartening to see that the lessons from the AIDS movement are inspiring economic development. Let us unleash the power of these values in our campaign to bring an end to AIDS
