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.
