CARICOM Joins Fight Against Hiv/Aids Stigma
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CARICOM Joins Fight Against Hiv/Aids Stigma |
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(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana) - 16 November 2004 - Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Mr. Edwin Carrington has issued a call for all persons in the CARICOM Region to strive to control the scourge of HIV/AIDS, and to give hope to persons living with the disease. Speaking at a seminar held at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana on Monday, 15 November to sensitise staff about the issue, the Secretary-General pledged the Secretariat’s support for efforts to reduce stigma and discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS. The sensitisation forum came ahead of the CARICOM/United Kingdom High-Level Conference on Stigma and Discrimination, to be held 22-24 November in St. Kitts and Nevis under the theme, Champions for Change. Mr. Carrington noted that the High-Level conference was taking place as the Region prepared for the advent of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME): “CARICOM Heads of Government are quite cognizant of the role of people in the efficient and effective operation of the CSME, and are concerned that the spread of HIV/AIDS would debilitate this most precious resource and constitute a major impediment to development”. Noting that HIV/AIDS had become an epidemic, with the Caribbean being second only to sub-Saharan Africa in terms of the prevalence of the disease, he said CARICOM Heads were persuaded to take urgent action to prevent and control the epidemic, which could severely impact the Region’s social and economic development. Meanwhile, Guyana’s Health Minister Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy in his address to the seminar, observed that despite pervasive education and awareness campaigns both at the national and Regional levels, stigma and discrimination persisted. In light of this, he said there was urgent need for the enactment of laws with strict sanctions, to complement education and policy guidelines. “As we in the Caribbean embrace the need to formulate a comprehensive legal framework as part of our overall response to HIV/AIDS, recognising that it is vital in the efforts to contain the epidemic, we must act with a sense of urgency and yet be careful that the human rights of all citizens are protected,” Dr. Ramsammy said. Contact: Carolyn Walcott Email: cwalcott@caricom.org |
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