St. Kitts – Nevis PM To Go To Mexico For AIDS Conference

St. Kitts - Nevis' Prime Minister - Denzil Douglas

St. Kitts – Nevis’ Prime Minister – Denzil Douglas
Photo By Erasmus Williams

Basseterre, Saint Kitts – Nevis
July 21, 2008 (CUOPM)

St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas will be among world leaders attending the 17th International AIDS Conference in Mexico early next month.

The conference will draw around 25,000 participants from across the globe, including many world-renowned leaders and experts in their field, according to a message received here on Monday.

AIDS 2008 will be officially opened on the evening of August 3 by Mexican President, His Excellency Felipe Caldern Hinojosa.

International Aids Society (IAS), a Geneva-based charity which convenes the AIDS conference said besides Prime Minister Douglas other world personalities include former United States President Bill Clinton, Mexican Secretary of Health Jos, Angel Cordova Villalobos; Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, Director- General of the World Health Organisation, Margaret Chan; Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS Peter Piot; Asian activist and advocate for the rights of HIV-positive women around the world, Mony Pen; former President of Botswana Festus Gontebanye Mogae, and First Vice-President of Spain Mar-a Teresa Fernandez de la Vega.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation, will present a keynote at a session titled ‘HIV/AIDS and Health System Reform: Achieving Universal Coverage’ on August 4.

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St. Kitts’ Archibald High Wins Inaugural Quiz

Washinton Archibald High's Winning Quiz Team

Washinton Archibald High’s Winning Quiz Team
Photo By Erasmus Williams

Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
July 07, 2008 (SKNIS)

The National HIV/AIDS programme in St. Kitts has new allies who can provide greater inroads to the critical 15 to 24 age group.

The allies were produced after competing in the inaugural Let’s See What You Know ““ HIV/AIDS Game Show. The competition, which was organized by the CARICOM Youth Ambassador Programme of (St. Kitts and Nevis), saw two students from the Washington Archibald, Cayon, Basseterre and Sandy Point High.

Schools take part in the Jeopardy-style quizzes. Washington Archibald and Cayon competed in the finale, which was broadcast live from the Old Boy’s School Building on July 4. Washington Archibald High emerged victorious after a rousing contest.

Javari Trotman, 15, and Patrick Williams, 14, were presented the championship trophy by Prime Minister Honourable Dr. Denzil Douglas, who also serves as CARICOM’s lead Head responsible for HIV/AIDS. After, the duo spoke to SKNIS.

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PM Douglas Says Region Will Fight HIV/AIDS

aids awareness ribbon

AIDS/HIV Awareness Ribbon

Basseterre, Saint Kitts – Nevis
June 11, 2008 (CUOPM)

The Caribbean region remains resolute and steadfast as it moves towards building the national and regional architecture that will ensure the attainment of universal access to HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support services by 2010 and sustainability beyond.

“Today, I feel vindicated to be in a position to present the largely positive mid-term scorecard of the Caribbean to this 2008 High-Level Meeting on AIDS of the General Assembly of the United Nations. For us, it is particularly gratifying to note that 21 countries of the Caribbean submitted assessment reports on their progress in achieving the key indicators adopted at the 2006 UNGASS meeting. The completion of this unprecedented number of reports demonstrates both commitment and forward movement at the country level,” said St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister and CARICOM’s Lead Spokesman on HIV/AIDS and health related matters.

Dr. Douglas told Presidents, Prime Ministers, Ministers of Health and representatives of non-governmental organisations at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that two years ago, he had the honour of addressing the august body for the second time and he then committed the Caribbean to achieving universal access to HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support services by the year 2010.

“It was bold pronouncement on the part of the Caribbean considering the twin problems of a region with the second highest prevalence of HIV infection in the world and limited technical and financial resources that the region had to surmount in order to achieve this milestone. Indeed, there were many observers who considered such a declaration to be fanciful. But we held forth then and remain convinced now that overcoming the challenges of AIDS is an absolute imperative that must consume our every being if we are not to squander the significant social and economic gains of the last half a century that our forbears have bought at such a high price with their blood and sweat and tears,” said Prime Minister Douglas.

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PM Douglas Speaks About AIDS At United Nations

United Nations Conference on HIV / AIDS Basseterre, Saint Kitts – Nevis June 09, 2008 (CUOPM) St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas is leading the Federation’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly High Level …

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