The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), with funding from the CARIFORUM 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Programme of Support for Wider Caribbean Cooperation, will host the Guyana National Faith Leaders Consultation in Georgetown, Guyana on the 9TH and 10TH August 2018.
The event will be hosted at the Guyana Marriott Hotel Georgetown; highlights will include a feature address by Hon. Dr Karen Cummings, MP, Minister within the Ministry of Public Health.
The consultation is occurring two years ahead of the 2020 deadline for reaching the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) 90-90-90 Targets —90% of people living with HIV diagnosed, 90% of diagnosed people on treatment and 90% of those on treatment virally suppressed.
Bishop Michael Perreira (Eccles Assembly of God – East Bank Demerara)
The initiative forms part of a series of engagements with faith leaders in Guyana under the PANCAP Justoce for All [JFA] programme It will encompass the development of an action plan for advancing faith leaders’ implementation of key elements of the Justice for All programme. Participants will include 40 faith leaders from religious networks across Guyana.
The action plan will include the establishment of the main goals for an inter-religious faith leaders network in Guyana with emphasis on ending AIDS. It will also involve the identification of the lessons learnt for ending AIDS from faith leaders’ engagements with People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and with other groups such as parliamentarians, youth leaders, civil society and members of church communities.
Participants will also propose solutions for resolving the challenges in developing a viable faith leaders network and will make specific recommendations to achieve the goals of the inter-religious – faith leaders network as well as identifying priorities and timelines for achieving the goals of the network.
In an invited comment, coordinator of the Consultation, Bishop Michael Perreira (Eccles Assembly of God – East Bank Demerara), encouraged faith leaders to partner with stakeholders to find common ground, respect differences, and work towards the establishment of a national faith leaders network.