Migrant Awareness Raising Sessions Held in Guyana
CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana–The first of a series of training sessions intended to heighten awareness of risk factors affecting mobile and migrant populations in Guyana was held here on 24 and 25 June 2014.
The participants of these sessions include those who interface with migrant populations—healthcare workers, immigration officers, members of the police force and military, staff of key government ministries and representatives of nongovernmental organisations. Participants are provided with knowledge of cultural diversity, stigma and discrimination, human rights and migration as social determinants of health.
This activity forms part of the project undertaken by the German International Cooperation (GIZ) in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat/Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) to improve access to HIV services for mobile and migrant populations in the Caribbean. Guyana is one of the pilot countries for the project, and the training activity is being conducted in partnership with the National AIDS Programme (NAPS/ Ministry of Health) and Artists in Direct Support.
A module titled Stigma, Discrimination, Cultural Sensitivity and Human Rights Related to Health and Migration, developed by the technical experts at the IOM, is being used as a tool in these sessions. Some participants will be selected for further training on how to use the manual to conduct similar awareness and training activities in their own organisations.
Activities are expected to continue through November.
WHAT IS PANCAP?
PANCAP is a Caribbean regional partnership of governments, regional civil society organisations, regional institutions and organisations, bilateral and multilateral agencies and contributing donor partners established on 14 February 2001. PANCAP provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, and 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 the capacity of partners.
What are the Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026 targets and commitments?
If targets and commitments in the strategy are achieved:
- The number of people who newly acquire HIV will decrease from 1.7 million in 2019 to less than 370 000 by 2025
- The number of people dying from AIDS-related illnesses will decrease from 690 000 in 2019 to less than 250 000 in 2025.
- The goal of eliminating new HIV infections among children will see the number of new HIV infections drop from 150,000 in 2019 to less than 22,000 in 2025.
What are the 95-95-95 Targets for ending AIDS?
- 95% of People Living with HIV know their HIV status;
- 95% of people who know their status on treatment; and
- 95% of people on treatment with suppressed viral loads.
HELPFUL LINKS:
Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026, End Inequalities, End AIDS
https://pancap.org/pancap-documents/global-aids-strategy-2021-2026-end-inequalities-end-aids/
Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS (CRSF) 2019-2025
https://pancap.org/pancap-documents/caribbean-regional-strategic-framework-2019-2025/