After two days of dialogue over 75 delegates, representing Caribbean countries, regional institutions and development partners of the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), arrived at approximately 15 actionable recommendations aimed at ending HIV related stigma and discrimination over the next 3-5 years.
The regional dialogue benefited from the charge of commitments by both prime ministers Portia Simpson-Miller of Jamaica and Denzil Douglas of, St Kitts and Nevis to advance HIV and AIDS as a priority of global health within the post 2015 development agenda.
The meeting agreed on certain key elements for a Declaration .to be presented to Caribbean Community Heads of Government and other Caribbean leaders for their endorsement. These include eliminating mother to child transmission of HIV, strengthening laws to drastically reduce domestic violence, enacting overarching anti-discrimination legislation and amending the equal opportunity acts; prohibit discrimination in employment practices including HIV status, disability and sexual orientation by 2015.
The recommendations also included other areas intended to be achieved between 2015 and 2018 These include developing standardized modules for delivery of HIV and AIDS education support such as the theatre and other forms of edutainment, developing social programmes for PLHA and the disabled and accelerating the process of evidenced based policies through research and training and repealing laws that criminalizing sexual acts in private between consenting male and female adults and ensure that there are provisions for criminalizing sexual acts with the use of force and with minor.
The regional consultation was preceded by a series of national consultations and clusters of parliamentarians, faith leaders, youth. Private sector and civil society
Commenting on the process Prime Minister Douglas said that this Justice for All Programme has started a movement for equality and social justice as the only way to bring about an end to AIDS. (PANCAP news)
