2008 Speeches

October 22, 2008

Dr. Roy L. Austin
United States Ambassador
Address at the Opening Ceremony
Annual U.S. Chiefs of Mission Conference on HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean
Regency I&II, Hyatt Hotel
Port of Spain

The Honorable Prime Minister Patrick Manning
Senator, the Honorable Jerry Narace
Assemblyman Oswald Williams
Fellow U.S. Ambassadors to the Caribbean
Other government representatives
Distinguished speakers
Representatives of CDC, USAID, DOD
Department of State Colleagues
Representatives of local and international organizations
Members of the Media
Other Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning!  Welcome!  And thank you very much for joining us here today!  Embassy Port of Spain is pleased and honored to have the opportunity to host the 7^th Annual U.S. Chiefs of Mission Conference on HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean.  For those of you new to the Chiefs of Mission Conference, these annual gatherings began in 2002 as a means of spotlighting the epidemic's toll on the Caribbean and identifying ways to work together to mitigate its impact. 

I applaud and thank our then Ambassador to Haiti, B.Dean Curran, for the vision he displayed in conceiving of this important exercise, and the effort that he expended to make that first Conference a reality. That our present ambassadorial colleague in Haiti, Janet Sanderson, could not join us today is ample testimony to the difficulties under which Dean must have labored to successfully stage that first conference. Again, we thank you Dean! And, Janet, we miss you; but realize that you would have been here if circumstances had allowed it. 

This annual event is a concrete expression of our collective commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS in the region.  And I am pleased to be able to stand before you knowing that our efforts – those of national governments, international organizations, local and regional NGOs, and the U.S. Government – are having an impact; for according to UNAIDS, the epidemic in the region has stabilized.  For example, the prevalence of HIV among adults in the Caribbean was estimated to be 1.1% in 2001 and remained the same in 2007. This hopeful sign encouraged me to host this conference for the second time, the first being in 2003. 

Reflective of the progress in a number of Caribbean countries, the Trinidad and Tobago National AIDS Coordinating Committee reported a decline in new HIV cases in 2006 and believes this continued in 2007.  In the Dominican Republic, the prevalence of HIV also dropped slightly between 2002 and 2007.  And in Haiti, the prevalence of HIV among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics fell by almost 50% between 1996 and 2004.  Although the prevalence among pregnant women in Haiti increased between 2004 and 2006, the latest reliable figures show that it remains well below the levels exhibited in the mid-1990s.    

I know there are signs of progress in every country represented here today.  I look forward to hearing about the state of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean from the experts in the room and am eager to discuss how we can translate national successes into region-wide achievements. 

While the improvement is noteworthy, the region does continue to suffer with the second highest prevalence rate in the world.   An estimated 230,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean, with 20,000 individuals newly infected last year.  Also, AIDS continues to be one of the leading causes of death for adults between the ages of 15 and 44.  

The burden of this epidemic falls on the region's vulnerable populations.  In Trinidad and Tobago, for instance, HIV infection rates are six times higher among females between the ages of 15 and 19 than in the general population; and the prevalence of HIV among Men having Sex with Men is 20%.  In Guyana, the prevalence of HIV among sex workers is reported to be as high as 31%. 

While these statistics are jarring, we need to consider more than just the numbers.  We are talking about people, about human lives.  This afternoon, we will learn more about these vulnerable people and the stigma and discrimination they face.  I know we will use the time constructively – to identify creative means of addressing the needs of these groups, reducing the stigma and discrimination they face, and ensuring adequate care and treatment are afforded them. 

Certainly, there remains significant work to be done and, positively, the U.S. Congress recently empowered us to act more aggressively.  In July, Congress passed the "Global Leadership against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008" which increases the worldwide U.S. financial commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS, authorizing $39 billion over the next five years for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).  The Reauthorization Bill – passed 80 to 16 in the Senate and 308 to 116 in the House of Representatives – had strong bipartisan support.  The political consensus that secured its passage will ensure a strong U.S. commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS well into the future. 

Building on the achievements of PEPFAR, which supported treatment for 1.7 million persons and care for 6.6 million worldwide and contributed over US$9 million in regional funding to the fight against HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean in 2006 and 2007, the Reauthorization Act will enable this effort to continue, building on its successes.  By 2013, PEPFAR aims to support worldwide treatment for at least 3 million people, care for 12 million people, and prevent 12 million new infections.  But PEPFAR is about more than targets.  It is about spreading hope, empowering individuals to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS, and building sustainable capacity within national healthcare systems.  PEPFAR aims to have a lasting impact!

To achieve these ambitious goals, the U.S. Government will partner closely with governments, non-governmental organizations, and regional entities, as it has in the past.  It is only through collaboration that we shall stem the tide of this epidemic.  We shall hear more about PEPFAR today - its new mandate and what it means for the Caribbean.  We shall also discuss the region's needs and priorities as we seek ways to address a disease that knows no borders. 

I look forward to hearing from all of the experts gathered here today and to participating in a lively discussion of the challenges facing this region as it continues to fight against this epidemic.  Perhaps even more importantly, we hope to use this conference to define a way forward – a highly collaborative means of maintaining the momentum in the care, treatment, and prevention of HIV/AIDS in the region. 

I thank you; and may God bless us, and bless and protect the victims of this terrible disease and those at risk of contracting it.