With a declaration by the over 25 participants including representatives from civil society organisations, National AIDS Programme Managers, faith leaders, academia, youth, regional parliamentarians and representatives from UN organisations, the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) completed its Champions for Change IV – Relaunch (September 12-13).
PANCAP is the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic.
The declaration highlighted a recommitment by the participants to contribute to the goals of UNAIDS 90-90-90 Targets to end AIDS by 2030. Participants also agreed to advocate for access to affordable medicines and strengthening laboratory systems as a human right by 2020; support enactment of appropriate legislation, regulations and other measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination and to ensure the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons living with, at risk and affected by HIV by 2020.
Participants also pledged to utilize their influence to foster an enabling environment for all members of vulnerable communities including men who have sex with men, sex workers, persons who use drugs, girls and adolescents by 2020.
A commitment was made to using their circle of influence to promote activities and programmes to further the Region’s success in the elimination of mother-to-child transfer of HIV and syphilis by 2020.
Emphasis was also placed on promoting initiatives that seek to integrate AIDS in a health/multi-sectoral approach in keeping with the Sustainable Development Goal #3; as well as propagating the implementation of Universal Health Access in accordance with the WHO/PAHO (2016) and World Health Assembly (2017) Declarations.
Those in attendance also agreed to assist faith leaders to intensify efforts to provide spiritual, psychosocial, economic and physical care for persons living with HIV. Of note was an agreement to sustain activities that promote respectful dialogue between faith leaders and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) representatives.