Friday, 19 October 2018 (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), with funding from the CARIFORUM 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Programme of Support for Wider Caribbean Cooperation, will host a Parliamentarians Sensitization Forum in Suriname on the 22 and 23 October 2018.   

 The Forum is part of a series of engagements involving parliamentarians under the PANCAP Justice for All Programme (JFP). Parliamentarians will be sensitized on issues regarding their advocacy role for the elimination of stigma and discrimination, as well as their legislative, representational and oversight roles.

The objectives of the forum are to identify the barriers to achieving the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) 90-90-90 Targets[1] including stigma and discrimination.  The Forum will also seek to define parliamentarians’ legislative, representational and oversight roles in addressing the barriers to ending the AIDS epidemic.  Participants will also discuss and agree on a timeline for specific actions to be undertaken by parliamentarians.

In an invited comment, H.E. Dr. Jeniffer Geerlings-Simons, Speaker of the National Assembly in Suriname said, “Fundamental rights and liberties for all, Justice and Fairness are common ideals that the people of Suriname strive towards and hold dear. These ideals are underpinned by the values enshrined in our constitution, which include peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and equality. Our nation, therefore, is one where consideration needs to be given to those who are rendered more vulnerable and/or marginalized, which brings us to a specific quest: work together, across sectors, creeds and other seeming differences and unite to realize the commitments we’ve made as a country, as a partnership, as a region, and as a world. 90-90-90 by 2020 and End AIDS by 2030!”

– ENDS –

What is PANCAP?

PANCAP is a Caribbean regional partnership of governments, regional civil society organizations, regional institutions and organizations, bilateral and multilateral agencies and contributing donor partners which was established on 14 February 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 maximize efficient use of resources and increase impact, mobilizes resources and build capacity of partners.

• 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Programme of Support for Wider Caribbean Cooperation

Under the 10th (EDF) Programme of Support for Wider Caribbean Cooperation, PANCAP will strengthen coordination on human rights issues in keeping with the Justice For all Roadmap through the HIV and AIDS Thematic Task Force in CARIFORUM.

• CARIFORUM

CARIFORUM refers to the Grouping of Caribbean States, which are signatories of the Georgetown Agreement establishing the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP). The ACP grouping is composed of 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific states.

CARIFORUM is the recipient of and manages the implementation of Caribbean Regional Indicative Programmes financed by the EDF and Caribbean regional programmes financed by individual Member States of the European Union. It also provides technical assistance to agencies/institutions implementing projects under these programmes.

• European Union

The Member States of the European Union have decided to link their expertise, resources, and destinies. Together, they have built a zone of stability, democracy, and sustainable development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance, and individual freedoms. The European Union is committed to sharing its achievements and its values with countries and peoples beyond its borders.

Background to the PANCAP Justice for All (JFA) Roadmap

The PANCAP Justice for All (JFA) Programme was established in September 2013 as a regional response to the UN High-Level Political Declaration (June 2011) designed to reduce AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. The objectives of the JFA Roadmap are:

• Enhancing family life and focusing on those in need
• Increasing access to treatment and affordable medicines
• Reducing gender inequality including violence against women, girls, and adolescents
• Promoting prevention with special reference to sexual and reproductive health and rights including age-appropriate sexual education
• Implementing legislative reforms for modifying AIDS-related stigma and discrimination

Helpful links:

PANCAP Justice for All (JFA) programme – https://pancap.org/what-we-do/justice-for-all/

10th European Development Fund Project (EDF) – https://pancap.org/pancap-work/10th-european-development-fund-project/

[1] What are the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) 90-90-90 Targets?

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