Release Type: Speech

Today, as we observe World AIDS Day, we are called to embrace the powerful theme of “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response.” This call resonates deeply across our Caribbean region, not as a mere slogan, but as a testament to the resilience that has always defined our people. We stand at a pivotal moment, facing the strong crosswinds of global funding cuts that threaten to slow our progress. But hear this clearly: our resolve has not been shaken; it has been steeled.

The path to ending AIDS by 2030 was never meant to be easy. Yet, the recent financial challenges present one of the most significant tests we have faced in decades. These cuts are not just numbers on a spreadsheet; they represent a potential threat to the medicines that keep our Caribbean brothers and sisters healthy, the prevention programmes that protect our youth, and the hope that has been steadily building across our territories.

But as Caribbean people, we are no strangers to overcoming storms. We have learned to build stronger, stand firmer, and innovate smarter when faced with adversity. The dream of an AIDS-free Caribbean, a Caribbean where no mother passes HIV to her child, where no life is cut short by AIDS, and where stigma and discrimination are relics of the past, is a dream we will not abandon.

Our commitment to achieving the 95-95-95 targets is unwavering. Why? Because we have seen the transformative power of treatment. We have witnessed communities rally together. We already have countries in our region that have eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This progress, hard-won by the dedication of governments, healthcare workers, civil society, and people living with HIV, is a foundation we will not allow to crumble (that we will continue to build on).

In this new reality, we are not merely surviving; we are transforming. We are forging a more efficient, more integrated, and more sustainable response. We are empowering our communities to lead, streamlining our supply chains, and ensuring that every single resource we have is used to its maximum impact. We are proving that our spirit and our collective will are our most valuable assets.

To our partners who stand with us, your solidarity is more crucial than ever. To the health care workers on the frontlines, your dedication is our inspiration. To the advocates and community leaders, your voice is our conscience. And to every person living with and affected by HIV in the Caribbean, we see you, we stand with you, and we reaffirm our promise: you are not alone.

Let me be clear: We will not go back. We will not surrender the gains for which we have fought so hard. We will navigate this challenge with determination, innovate with purpose, and unite with a common vision. The journey may now be steeper, but our destination remains the same. Together, we will overcome this disruption, transform our response, and realise an AIDS-free Caribbean for generations to come.

Thank you.

Good morning, colleagues, facilitators, and partners.

On behalf of the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), I warmly welcome you to this three-day training on Motivational Interviewing.

Our region has made significant progress in the HIV response. Yet, new infections persist, reminding us that we must intensify efforts to reach, retain, and support all those in need of prevention, treatment, and care services.

Motivational Interviewing provides us with practical tools to change the way we engage with people, shifting from telling them what to do to partnering with them on their own journey toward better health.

The recent learning exchange in Amsterdam confirmed the value of Motivational Interviewing for PrEP uptake, adherence, and re-engagement in care.

This training takes us further, helping you master these skills with real patients and peers.

I want to thank our partners, the University of Miami, PAHO, and the Global Fund, for their strong support. And I encourage you, participants, to fully immerse yourselves: practice, reflect, give feedback, and be open to change because the conversations you have after this workshop can save lives.

I wish you a productive and inspiring training.

Thank you.

Good morning, colleagues and partners in health,

Let me first thank the National AIDS Programme Secretariat and the Ministry of Health
for the kind invitation to join you at today’s launch of World Hepatitis Day 2025. It is a
real pleasure to be here among champions in public health—dedicated individuals who
understand that behind every statistic is a real person, a real family, and a real
community.

This year’s theme—“Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down”—calls us to break down barriers,
and rebuild trust in prevention, care, and treatment. And today, I’d like to begin by
sharing a little Anansi wisdom—a tale many of us in the Caribbean know well.

In one story, Anansi the spider, tried to collect all the world’s wisdom into a single
calabash so he alone could be the wisest. But no matter how he tried to hide it, wisdom
slipped through the cracks—because wisdom was never meant to be withheld. It was
meant to be shared.

And so it is with knowledge!

Too often, hepatitis remains hidden—like that calabash tucked away in the treetop—
unspoken in our communities, misunderstood by our people, and underestimated in
our health responses. Yet it is affecting lives every day: silently damaging livers, claiming
futures, and burdening our health systems.

But like Anansi eventually realized, real power lies in sharing knowledge, not hiding it.
Today’s gathering is a testament to that realization.

Together, we are choosing to break it down:

• Break down the complex science
• Break down the stigma that still silences too many of our people from seeking
care;
• Break down the silos in our health systems so that monitoring, evaluation, and
service delivery work hand-in-hand;

At PANCAP, we believe that no single health issue exists in isolation. Hepatitis, like HIV
and other STIs, is part of a broader fabric of sexual and reproductive health, of human
rights, and of equity. That’s why we remain committed to supporting member states in
developing integrated responses—where knowledge flows, systems connect, and
people come first.

Let me commend Guyana for leading by example. Your commitment to clinician
training, community engagement, and data-driven decision-making reflects exactly the
kind of leadership needed to meet our regional and global hepatitis elimination goals.

As we move forward today, let us channel the spirit of the story—distribute the calabash
of wisdom and knowledge. Let us turn knowledge into action, and action into impact.

Let us break it down, and build a healthier Caribbean.

Thank you.

The Caribbean Region ranks among the top eight areas globally with the highest number of new HIV infections. Over the past decade, there have been significant strides in the Region in decreasing Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV, decreasing deaths from AIDS, providing more Persons Living with HIV with life-saving Antiretroviral Drugs (ARVs), and supporting persons on medications in attaining viral suppression.  This has resulted in a reduction in HIV transmission and improved quality of life.

However, significant challenges remain. Although 77% of the estimated 330,000 Persons Living with HIV in the Caribbean overall have been tested and are aware of their status, and 81% of those diagnosed are on life-saving medications, with 80% of those on medications attaining viral suppression, progress has not been uniform across the Caribbean.

The Region has also not been able to stem the occurrence of new infections. These disproportionately affect socially marginalized key populations, including men who have sex with men, sex workers, adolescent girls, and young women.

The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted several vital services essential for the control of HIV in the Region. For example, prevention services have seen a steep decline while testing services in many countries have fallen off, and community outreach has come to a halt.

Considering these disruptions and the potential that the pandemic can take us off track, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria continues to support the Region to implement mitigation strategies to ensure continuity of services for HIV.

Through the support of the Global Fund, countries are implementing HIV self-testing initiatives to reach key populations and those who have difficulties accessing testing services. The Global Fund is also supporting community efforts and strengthening Civil Society Organisations’ capacity to reach communities most in need and offer the services they require, such as home delivery of ARVs and other commodities.

The Global Fund continues to be one of the most significant donor agencies supporting HIV work in the Caribbean.

The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) has been engaged over the past months with Member States and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to prepare for the United Nations High-level meeting on HIV.

This High-level Meeting is expected to be the springboard for a decade of action to reduce inequalities and root out the social determinants that fuel the HIV epidemic. All Member States were encouraged to participate in this meeting and to let their voices be heard. CSOs were especially encouraged to be part of country delegations since they play an important role in supporting the national and regional response.

The High-level Meeting is a call to action for Caribbean countries to recognize that despite the progress in the Region, there is still a lot of work to be done to fill the existing gaps. Countries must seize the opportunity to maintain their focus and commitment to ending AIDS as a public health threat as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

PANCAP is pleased to see the progress represented by the new Political Declaration. Although we would have loved to see stronger language in some areas, and we are disappointed by some critical omissions and weaknesses in the Declaration, the Partnership pledges to continue working with all stakeholders in the Region to ensure that these are addressed as work towards ending AIDS continues.

There is much to welcome in the Political Declaration. PANCAP is pleased to see that key populations were named. This will ensure that the focus and response are placed where needed. Key populations have been at the heart of community-led responses to HIV for 40 years. Their continued leadership, along with the leadership of other vulnerable populations – women, adolescents and young people, Indigenous peoples, and people with disabilities – is essential and deserves greater recognition.

For this Political Declaration to mean something to the people affected and impacted by HIV, it must be supported at the highest level, and it must be backed with the financial and other needed resources.

Let us work together to ensure that this Declaration is not only words on paper but also means something to those crying out for our help.  Lets us all work together to END AIDS.

Due to the global spread of the COVID-19 virus, many populations are experiencing negative consequences such as job loss, food insecurity, and the inability to manage existing medical conditions and maintain preventive measures to control the spread of the virus, such as social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE).

Some of the most disadvantaged in the COVID-19 era are People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and other vulnerable groups.

As the number of new HIV infections decreases globally, there are still subpopulations that remain at higher risk of infection in the Caribbean and have limited or no access to prevention, care, and treatment.

The populations that are the hardest hit are those that also lack power and experience high levels of food insecurity, poverty, drug abuse, incarceration among men, and those suffering from other infectious and chronic diseases.

As we struggle to ensure continuity of services for PLHIV during the pandemic, we need to consider how we can better support them to ease the added burden of the pandemic.

We can support PLHIV by ensuring food and other social protection services, including temporary shelters for key populations, People Living with HIV, and other vulnerable groups.

There is also the possibility to explore opportunities to provide cash transfers and other support to PLHIV who have lost their jobs or are in vulnerable conditions, especially among key populations. Also, there is a need to provide services to support populations most affected by violence, especially among women, transgender women, girls, and migrant populations.

Let us use our collective skills and collaborate to support the most vulnerable during COVID-19.