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Photo: St. Kitts and Nevis' Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas addressing Friday's United Nations High-Level Meeting and Comprehensive Review Special Session on HIV/AIDS at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Frifay on behalf the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and PANCAP. (UN photo) |
Prime Minister Douglas highlights CARICOM's needs to achieve universal access for all in the region's fight against HIV/AIDS
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JUNE 4TH 2006 (CUOPM) - St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister, Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas said while he was optimistic about achieving universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support for all Caribbean nationals in the fight against HIV/AIDS by 2010, there are obstacles that may impede CARICOM's quest and programmes.
"There are many needs: the need for sustained financing; the need for increased human resource capacity, given the high rates of migration of skilled labour from our region to the developed world; the need to mobilize technical and financial resources that allow greater emphasis to be placed on prevention; the need to strengthen not only our health systems, but also our education system and other social systems necessary for a comprehensive and integrated approach," said Prime Minister Douglas in an address at the United Nations High-Level Meeting and Comprehensive Review Special Session on HIV/AIDS.
Speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS, the regional network that embraces Governments, Non-Governmental Organizations, international and regional agencies, business, labour, civil society and representatives of people living with HIV/AIDS, across the English, Spanish, Dutch and French Speaking
Caribbean, Prime Minister Douglas told thousands of delegates including Presidents and Prime Ministers from around the world on Friday that for CARICOM to meet its goals "our international partners must be encouraged to harmonize and align programmes and to simplify funding requirements."
Dr. Douglas pointed out that in this regard, the intractable eligibility criteria imposed by multilateral and bilateral agencies, which disqualify medium-income countries of the Caribbean from access to front line awards, must be challenged.
The St. Kitts and Nevis leader said that the Caribbean is pleased with the decisions of The Monterrey Consensus and Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the countries of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which have established standards and criteria for alignment and harmonization.
He said CARICOM and PANCAP unhesitatingly support the UNAIDS "Three Ones" Principles, the recommendations of the Global Task Team (GTT) on improving AIDS Coordination among Multilateral Institutions and International Donors; the Rome Declaration on Harmonization; and the G8 leaders pledge to increase
Official Development Assistance (ODA) to approximately US$50 billion a year by 2010 and expressed happiness that the global initiatives have been captured in the draft Political Declaration because they accord with the way the Caribbean sees its role of developing partners.
