Under the theme Many Partners Building One Initiative the CARICOM–led Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) holds its Third Annual General Meeting on 12 and 13 November in Georgetown, Guyana.
This meeting will review progress and challenges in the regional battle against the epidemic as well as future activities, particularly in light of the recent inflow of international resources to intensify HIV/AIDS prevention and control. In this regard, the meeting will receive reports from core partners on HIV prevention and control activities as well as a progress report on the implementation of PANCAP’s activities, such as the Action Plans on Law, Ethics and Human Rights and on Information and Communication and the Accelerating Initiative – Status of Anti-retroviral Drugs. Other agenda items include: resource mobilisation, care and treatment programme for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and The Bahamas and the Structure and Function of PANCAP.
Several donors are members of PANCAP and will discuss future collaboration. The Director of the Latin American and Caribbean programmes as well as the Portfolio Manager of the Global Fund have been invited to make special presentations on the operations of the Fund and the requirements for the disbursement of funds for the eight Caribbean projects approved by the Global Fund.
The Caribbean has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence globally, second only to sub-Saharan Africa, with some 500,000 people living with the virus. Of these, close to 100,000 are in the English-speaking countries, with the majority complement in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
PANCAP was launched at the 12th Inter-Sessional Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government in February 2001 in response to concerns about the serious threat of HIV/AIDS to the Caribbean. The Partnership advocates for HIV/AIDS issues through governments, mobilises resources to address the epidemic and coordinates regional HIV/AIDS activities.
PANCAP’s achievements since its last Annual General Meeting in 2002 include: successful negotiation for reduced prices for anti-retroviral drugs in CARICOM States, mobilisation of resources for HIV/AIDS activities, training of Caribbean professionals, continued education of communities to deal with HIV/AIDS, issues and development of strategies to reduce discrimination against persons infected and affected by HIV/ AIDS; for reduced prices of drugs for PLWHAs throughout the Region.
The Partnership was granted approximately US$8M in June 2003 by the World Bank for HIV/AIDS prevention and control programmes. The Global Fund Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, recently approved eight regional grants and allocated US$M110 over 5 years toward HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis activities in the Caribbean. The German Development Bank recently announced that it would support a CARICOM/PANCAP implemented Caribbean Social Marketing Programme with an assigned six million Euros.
These developments, along with reports from donor agencies and partners on HIV/AIDS activities in the Caribbean will be discussed during the two-day meeting which begins with an opening ceremony in the Savannah Suite, Le Meridien Pegasus. A special feature of this meeting is an exhibition to highlight the activities of a number of organizations and institutions in their fight against this regional epidemic.
