From Jamaica Observer

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) partners have ended a meeting here committing to implementing high-impact cost-effective interventions to sustain national and regional responses.

A statement issued at the end of the Fourth Annual Meeting of National AIDS Programme Managers and Key Partners, noted that participants were challenged to identify the national and regional guiding policies and actions needed to sustain an effective HIV response.

It said that they were also challenged to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic by 2030, notwithstanding the current global economic environment and declining donor funds for HIV.

“The economic implications of sustaining Care and Treatment for All and access to affordable medicines and commodities were discussed. Strategies for operationalising new approaches for HIV prevention and treatment at the national level were agreed, and the need for the integration of HIV into health systems was reaffirmed. The cross-cutting role of civil society in the response to HIV, including service delivery and advocacy, was also reaffirmed,” the statement said of the meeting that ended on Thursday.

It said that the partners reiterated and agreed that the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and congenital syphilis was within the Caribbean’s reach.

Cuba was validated in 2015 as the first country in the world to achieve this target, and 17 other countries in the region are working towards validation in 2016.

The statement noted that among the outcomes of the meeting were the new 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for the use of antiretroviral drugs for the treatment and prevention of HIV disseminated, and challenges and opportunities for their implementation identified as well as the integration and alignment of the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission strategy with other key services to ensure sustainability of gains discussed.

PANCAP is a Caribbean regional partnership of governments, regional civil society organisations, regional institutions and organisations, bilateral and multilateral agencies and contributing development partners.

Established in 2001, PANCAP provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, coordinates the response through the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS to maximise efficient use of resources and increase impact, mobilise resources and build capacity of partners.

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