As PANCAP programme gets underway… Calls made for collective action for domestic financing of HIV response

Apr 26, 2018 News

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During the last six years, the annual number of new HIV infections among adults across the Caribbean has remained static. Based on available data, the reported HIV cases was an estimated 17,000 in 2016.
This state of affairs was amplified by Minister of Education, Ms. Nicolette Henry, when she addressed the two-day Joint Regional Dialogue forum which commenced on Tuesday in Trinidad and Tobago. The forum is one that has attracted some 60 regional delegates including faith leaders, parliamentarians, civil society, national AIDS programme managers and youth leaders.
Henry is attending the forum in the capacity of Chair of the Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS [PANCAP] Regional Coordinating Mechanism. In her deliberations, she highlighted that “one-third [33 percent] of our Caribbean people living with HIV on treatment were not virally suppressed in 2016.”
For this reason, she noted that retaining people on treatment has proven challenging for most countries in the region. The Minister added, “Notably, of all people living with HIV in the Caribbean, 36 percent were unaware of their HIV status in 2016. And late diagnosis is still a challenge, particularly for men.”

Minister Henry also advocated for collective action for domestic financing of the HIV response. “If we are to ensure sustainability of the regional response and for ending AIDS, many countries in the region have to do more to make AIDS and health a financial priority,” said the Minister. “Let me say that sustainability is not just about resources. It is also about ensuring that our responses are the most effective, based on science and epidemiology, and targeting those most in need. Sustainability is also about partnership,” she asserted.
Although she observed that there has been strong growth in the region’s HIV response, Minister Henry warned that “more still needs to be done in order to sustain the response and the gains made.”
Also representing Guyana at the meeting is Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings.
The meeting has come two years ahead of the 2020 deadline for reaching the United Nations 90-90-90 targets that calls for 90 percent of people living with HIV diagnosed, 90 percent of diagnosed people on treatment and 90 percent of those on treatment virally suppressed.
In his opening remarks, Director of PANCAP, Mr. Dereck Springer, stated that the meeting seeks to affirm the work done in response to HIV by stakeholder groups and individual organizations across the region.
The meeting is one that embraces discussion in the five thematic areas of: Access to HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health Services including adolescents’ access; Stigma and Discrimination against People Living with HIV (PLHIV); Access to Justice and Redress; Gender inclusive policies and laws; and Comprehensive sexuality education in schools.
The Director explained that the aforementioned thematic areas were suggested by the stakeholders who participated in the various PANCAP consultations in 2016 and 2017 with faith leaders, parliamentarians, youth, key populations and NAP managers.
He stated, “We must now build upon these outcomes by facilitating the collaboration and partnership of our five stakeholder groups to take collective action to end AIDS by 2030.”
Moreover, Springer revealed that the objective of the meeting is to move the stakeholders beyond information sharing and sensitization, to discussing and agreeing on mechanisms or strategies for effecting harmonized and sustainable partnerships and collaboration between all stakeholder groups at the organizational, national, regional and international levels for ending AIDS.
He highlighted too that the most significant objective of the meeting is the identification of realistic joint organizational, national, regional and international level activities that the participants can partner, collaborate and engage in to advance the PANCAP Justice for All [JFA] Roadmap and the Model Anti-Discrimination Legislation which was approved in 2012.
Although approved, the proposed legislation has not been adopted in whole or part by any country, a state of affairs that has caused Springer to emphasize the need for respectful dialogue over the next two days.
Dr. Edward Greene, former UN Secretary General Special Envoy for HIV in the Caribbean and now PANCAP Special Advisor, delivered remarks on behalf of Professor Donald Simeon, Chair, Priority Areas Coordinating Committee [PACC] and Deputy Chair, PANCAP Executive Board.
Professor Simeon in his speech emphasized the importance of examining the effects of stigma and discrimination. As a Health Research Scientist, he claims to understand the value of using differences for the greater good. He explained that by observing how and why a few individuals respond differently to a specific exposure, many critical hypotheses can be generated, leading to life-saving discoveries in the field of medicine. Professor Simeon, moreover, challenged the participants to seize the opportunity and use their differences to strengthen the regional response against HIV.
Meanwhile, Ms. Ayanna Webster-Roy, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, holding the portfolios of Gender and Child Affairs, Ecclesiastical Affairs and Central Administration Services, Tobago, in her feature address commended PANCAP for convening the meeting and thanked participants for tackling the issue of stigma and discrimination with honest discussions. She said that initiatives such as this are imperative, as the Caribbean has a long way to go to achieve a future free of AIDS.
“As I look into the audience, I see a gathering of like-minded individuals who share a common interest for improving and sustaining the HIV and AIDS response within the region,” stated Minister Webster-Roy. “It is through meetings like these that the realization of our future goal of ending AIDS by 2030 will be achieved.”
She further stated that the Region has made significant progress to date. Among these, she noted, “The Caribbean has halved the number of new infections among adults between 2000 and 2014.”
She however added, “Our work is far from complete, as we have existing and new challenges to address. With the world economic downturn and the pending withdrawal of two key international donors, the funding mechanism will be affected in some countries, and the participating organizations gathered today, will be tasked with finding innovative ways for addressing the needs for sustaining our response campaigns.”
Minister Webster-Roy also challenged participants to examine national and regional issues and goals, and to take into consideration the targets established by the United Nations High Level Meeting Political Declaration June 2016 on ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030; the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals approved by 192 nations at the United Nations in September 2015, and the commitments made by civil society, faith-based and other implementing stakeholder groups, for ending AIDS.
She indicated, “if we agree that our aim is a future free of AIDS and a reduction in the number of new HIV infections and if we understand that the effective guarantee of Human Rights is essential for our Sustainable Development Goals, we must also recognize that open, honest and consistent dialogue and collaboration are paramount to the achievement of our national, regional and international goals.”
The Minister went on to emphasize that the region recognises that HIV is a critical development problem, which affects quality of life, labour, families, communities and the national economy in the present and the future.
“Therefore, it is in your interest, along with all of our partners and stakeholders to ensure we all perform our critical roles in the care of persons infected and affected with HIV,” the Minister added.
According to the Minister too, all stakeholders must ensure that they perform their critical roles in the prevention of and protection against HIV infection, and the mitigation of the spread of the disease. She noted, “It is conversations like these, which allow everyone, including representatives from Governments, to efficiently and effectively support meaningful change that benefits the region.”
The Minister reminded participants that CARICOM’s Vision Statement proposes “a Caribbean Community that is integrated, inclusive and resilient; driven by knowledge, excellence, innovation and productivity; a Community where every citizen is secure and has the opportunity to realise his or her potential with guaranteed human rights and social justice; and contributes to, and shares in, its economic, social and cultural prosperity; a Community which is a unified and competitive force in the global arena.”
Minister Webster-Roy invited participants to keep this vision in mind as they deliberate and agree on joint national and regional level policy formulation and activities for advancing the short, medium and long-term goals of the PANCAP JFA Roadmap to chart the way forward.
Minister Webster-Roy also pledged Trinidad and Tobago’s commitment to ending AIDS and removing barriers of stigma and discrimination, despite the challenges currently faced by the country.
“I pledge our commitment to creating an environment that is both respectful and supportive to all, including those living with or affected by HIV,” she related, adding, “These are goals that I wholeheartedly believe we can achieve if we continue to place HIV and AIDS at the forefront of issues facing the Caribbean.”
The Minister underscored that the Joint Dialogue is another step in the correct direction for laying the foundations for increasing engagement and promoting solidarity among stakeholder groups as well as the persons they serve.
It is intended that the two-day dialogue will culminate with practical and strategic initiatives for collaboration by all stakeholders under the PANCAP JFA Programme for ending the AIDS epidemic.

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