Friday 20 February 2019 (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago’s National AIDS Coordinating Committee (NACC),  with funding  from the CARIFORUM 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Programme of Support for Wider Caribbean Cooperation, hosted a Parliamentarians Sensitization Forum at the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago, Port-of-Spain on Monday 18 February 2019.

The Forum formed part of a series of engagements with parliamentarians, which commenced in 2013 under the PANCAP Justice for All (JFA) programme. The objectives of the Forum were aligned with the JFA Programme, PANCAP’s regional response to the UN High-Level Political Declaration (June 2011) designed to reduce AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. The Forum outlined the challenges to the Trinidad and Tobago HIV and AIDS response, including barriers toward achieving the UNAIDS 90-90-90 Targets[1], eliminating stigma and discrimination and contributing to the end of AIDS.

Present were Hon. Ayanna Webster-Roy, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Hon. Glenda Jennings-Smith,  Minister of National Security, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Hon. Frank Anthony, MP, Member of the Opposition, Guyana and Dr Edward Greene, PANCAP Advisor & Former UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for AIDS in the Caribbean.

Participants were involved in defining the legislative, representational and oversight roles of parliamentarians for addressing the challenges of ending AIDS. They discussed actions with specific timelines and made recommendations for the establishment of a National Parliamentarians Action Group to function as a coordinating mechanism to facilitate communications with and among National Parliamentary Committees. Participants also identified ways to collaborate with other stakeholders in the HIV response including faith leaders, civil society, youth and Key Populations.

[1] By 2020, 90% of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status,

By 2020, 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy and

By 2020, 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.