PM Bruce Golding to Deliver Opening Remarks
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The American Embassy, USAID, and the Centers for Disease Control’s Caribbean Regional Program will host the 6th annual Chiefs of Mission Conference on HIV/AIDS under the theme, “The role of Regional Cooperation in Fighting HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean” in Kingston from October 2 to 5.
The aim of the conference is to provide American Chiefs of Mission in the Caribbean with an understanding of the various levels of assistance being given to the region by the United States Government and other agencies to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. Conference participants will also discuss perspectives and opportunities for the Ambassadors to use their leadership roles to advocate a continued focus on the disease within the US government and in their respective host countries. Lessons and successes learned in HIV and AIDS programming in the Caribbean will also be reviewed.
Hon. Bruce Golding
The Hon. Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica is slated to deliver remarks at the opening ceremony on Wednesday, October 3.
Keynote speaker at the opening session will be Dr. Robert Gallo, pioneer in the field of human retrovirology and Director of the Human Virology Institute at the University of Maryland. Other presenters will include Berta Fernandez, program Officer at the International Organization for Migration Regional Office for North America and the Caribbean, and Dr. Peter Figueroa, chief of Epidemiology and AIDS in Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Environment.
Some of the topics to be discussed include sustainability of the effort to mitigate the effect of HIV/AIDS in the region, combating stigma and discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS, human trafficking and HIV/AIDS, and the impact of HIV/AIDS on children.
American Chiefs of Mission (Ambassadors and Charge`s) from Barbados, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica, Cuba, Suriname, Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas will participate in the conference.
