Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com

Caribbean summit on HIV/AIDS comes to USVI next weekend
01-13-2007

WASHINGTON, USA: Ministers of Health from across the Caribbean and the United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean will converge on the US Virgin Islands from January 20 through January 22 to discuss the economic impact of HIV/AIDS on the Caribbean.

The meeting hosted by the Inter-American Economic Council, a Washington based non-governmental association that focuses on issues of concern to the Caribbean Basin and Latin America, will be held at the Buccaneer Hotel on St Croix.

USVI Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus's Health Braintrust and is a member of the Friends of the Caribbean Caucus in the Congress, invited the Council to hold its meeting on St Croix for the important discussion of bringing affordable treatments for HIV/AIDS to the Caribbean and the economic consequences of the disease for the region.

"HIV/AIDS affects not only the patients suffering from the disease, but has a ripple effect on families, businesses, and communities," said Delegate Christensen. "I am pleased that this year's meeting will be held on St Croix, giving some of our local care providers and agency heads the opportunity to interact with the regional and international leaders as we come together as a region to find answers to some of the troubling problems that have been created by HIV/AIDS."

Expected participants include Sir George Alleyne, United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean and Director Emeritus of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Sir George will keynote the opening session on Sunday, January 21, 2007. The luncheon session will be keynoted by Ambassador Albert Ramdin, Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States.

Speakers of note include the Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands, Dr Orlando Smith; US Representatives Donald Payne and Yvette Clarke; John Maginley Minister of Health of Antigua-Barbuda; Dr Jerome Walcott, Minister of Health of Barbados; John Fabien, Minister of Health of Dominica; Ann David-Antoine, Minister of Health of Grenada; Dr Robert Auguste, Minsiter of Health of Haiti; Edward Greene, who is the Assistant Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); Karen Turner, Regional Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); Dr Karl Theodore, head of the Department of Economics and Health Economics at the University of the West Indies; Dr Izben Williams, Ambassador of St Kitts-Nevis; Dr Winston Parris, MD, Chief of the Division of Pain Programs, Duke University; Rita Arauz Molina, President of the Fundacion Nimehuatzin; and Ambassador Christopher Thomas, Chairman of the Inter-American Economic Council.

According to Barry Featherman, President and CEO of the Inter-American Council, the Summit will be a proactive program practically focused to develop new innovative strategies by bringing together leading thinkers, practitioners and experts in the field from government, business and the wider community. "It will also educate policymakers about work that is already being done in the region and work that needs to be done," he said.