Dear Participants of the Third Annual PANCAP Meeting,
First of all, I wish to express my best wishes and solidarity with you in your continuing leadership in the response to AIDS. I am sorry not to be able to be with you in person.
The Pan-Caribbean partnership against HIV/AIDS has come a long way: from the first ‘concept’ back in February 2001 – when I had the privilege of launching it with Prime Ministers Denzil Douglas and Owen Arthur, CRN+ as well as Sir George Alleyne who is today our Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS for the Caribbean – all the way to the influential political and programming force it has become today under the leadership of CARICOM.
Not only has the Partnership marshaled the highest level political leadership in the Caribbean, it is now mobilizing new financial resources for action. It epitomizes the renewed commitment of the Caribbean to “fight back”, and reverse the spread of AIDS. I believe it is model of a successful regional approach, which can be a source of lessons learnt for other regions.
The challenge now in front of PANCAP is to ensure that we successfully move towards implementation and towards scaling up the response to the epidemic in the Caribbean. This is the time to break the barriers of our separate ‘mandates’ and work together towards a common cause: prevention of HIV/AIDS and care and support for PEOPLE living with HIV/AIDS. This is going to be a true test of our partnership: being able to work together, to pull our resources and share our accountability in order to deliver on a scaled-up response. Our ‘deliverables’ will be measured at the country level – in workplaces, in schools, in communities and families. If any one country, if any one organization, if any one partner fails – we all fail.
Please allow me to also take this opportunity to single out one issue: WE HAVE TO break the barrier of homophobia, stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS in this Region. Human rights are not an optional extra – they form the very core of an effective response to the epidemic. If we do not combat sigma and discrimination now, our ability to make advances in prevention of new infections and in care and support will be severely undermined – regardless of how much funding we may have.
The urgency and the challenges are enormous. AIDS has to become a priority for us all and I would like to reiterate the commitment of UNAIDS and the entire UN System to continuing to work closely with all of you in Partnership. We must never forget that we are here to serve those at the front lines of this epidemic: particularly people living with HIV AIDS.
Thank you.
