Speeches

Chiefs of Mission Conference on HIV/AIDS

WELCOME ADDRESS BY
Dr. Roy L. Austin
Chiefs of Mission Conference on HIV/AIDS
Trinidad & Tobago, September 29, 2003
Dr. Roy L. Austin, U.S. Ambassador to Trinidad & Tobago
Trinidad Hilton

The Honorable Patrick Manning, Prime Minister of the Republic of T&T.
The Honorable Colm Imbert, Minister of Health.
Senator the Honorable Hazel Manning, Minister of Education.
Other Government Officials.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Peter De Shazo.

Fellow U.S. Caribbean Chiefs of Mission: Amb. Russel Freeman of Belize, Amb. James Foley of Haiti, Amb. Roland Bullen of Guyana, Amb. Hans Hertell of the Dominican Republic, Amb. Sue Cobb of Jamaica, Amb. Marsha Barnes of Suriname, Chargé Marcia Bernicat of Barbados, Chargé Nadia Tongour of Grenada, A/DCM Kay Crawford of the Bahamas.

Director of Caribbean Affairs Mary Gilroy.
Fellow Members of the Diplomatic Corp of T&T.
Heads of Various International Organizations.
Advisors, Consultants, Educators.
Specially Invited Guests.
Members of the Media.
Ladies and Gentlemen.

Good morning and welcome to the second meeting of the U.S. Caribbean Chiefs of Mission on the topic of HIV/AIDS. To those persons who journeyed here from overseas, welcome to the Land of the Humming Bird! I am certain that Prime Minister Manning will agree that we could not have chosen a better place to hold this conference; and I am pleased that so many Americans representing so many federal agencies are here. Your presence signals our commitment and that of our government to HIV/AIDS control in the Caribbean.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has become the public health challenge of our generation. This microbe, invisible to the human eye, is having a huge and unparalleled impact upon national economies, security, social behavior, education, and migration. Despite much progress and several exciting new initiatives, the Caribbean remains the region with the highest percentage of HIV infected persons outside of sub-Saharan Africa. This epidemic challenges the fragile economies of the region, and stretches the regions public health infrastructure beyond reasonable limits. Those of us who are representing the United States in this region care because the disease on which we are focusing has already brought tremendous suffering to this and other parts of the world. We care, too, because of the remarkably close relationship between the U.S. and the nations of the Caribbean.

To Americans in the continental 49 states, the people of the Caribbean are our maritime neighbors; but the location of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands makes many Americans residents of the Caribbean. Moreover, Americans and Caribbean peoples meet frequently through pleasure-focused and business travel, migration and cultural exchange. Our contact certainly enriches our cultures and nations, but can also provide opportunities for the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Let me offer concrete examples of this transmission claim. One hypothesis for the introduction of HIV into Haiti is that is occurred by way of HIV-infected American tourists visiting Haiti in the late 1970s. Conversely, a mere twenty years later, more than half of foreign-born persons with AIDS in New York City are from the Caribbean. Thus, we share our viruses as our peoples meet and as our cultures converge. These considerations, along with the sheer magnitude of the epidemic in the Caribbean, make HIV/AIDS control a priority for Americans and Caribbean peoples alike, and should serve to energize our discussions during the next two days.

The goals for this meeting are to review the progress in U.S.-led HIV/AIDS control activities in the Caribbean; learn more about the activities of national and regional institutions in the Caribbean to control HIV/AIDS; and to contribute to determining future directions for U.S. HIV/AIDS control activities in this region. The meeting’s agenda is designed to help us accomplish these goals.

As I mentioned earlier, this is the second meeting of the United States Chiefs of Mission on the topic of HIV/AIDS. The first was held in Haiti in April of 2002. Many recommendations were made at that meeting, and much progress has been made in implementing those recommendations to enhance the U.S. Government’s response to HIV/AIDS in this region. We shall discuss this progress this morning, and have the opportunity to hear brief reports about HIV/AIDS activities undertaken by regional U.S. Missions using the Ambassadors’ Fund for HIV/AIDS and/or other resources. Let me take this opportunity to publicly thank Senator Manning who allowed her Ministry of Education to provide unstinting support to the project for which our Embassy in Trinidad used the Ambassadors’ Fund.

In addition, there are new and exciting developments in the effort to control HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean, including President Bush’s bold initiatives on international HIV/AIDS. Among these initiatives are the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and the Emergency Plan for AIDS relief. Included, too, is the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, chaired by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. This Fund is now considering its third round of awards. We shall hear more about these and other new initiatives on the part of U.S. Government agencies today.

This afternoon, following a lunch at the region’s public health institution, the Caribbean Epidemiology Center (CAREC), we shall hear about Caribbean HIV/AIDS control interventions from national and regional institutions working in the Caribbean. What we learn about these substantial efforts will guide our deliberations, and help to determine the nature and extent of U.S. Government support.

This evening, you are invited to my residence for a reception. Of course, you will have the opportunity to socialize with old friends and to make new friends. Also, a pannist will be there to entertain and, perhaps, acquaint some folks with a unique musical instrument invented in this land of variously talented people.

Tomorrow will provide us the opportunity to synthesize some of the information we learn today, and use it for discussion of approaches to HIV/AIDS control. This discussion should prove to be lively and help to unify our voices as we move forward. By mid-day we shall have the opportunity to review today’s presentations and tomorrow’s discussions in order to summarize the conference’s accomplishments.

Thank you again for showing your commitment to HIV/AIDS control by your presence at this conference. I hope you find the conference valuable, and that you who are visiting from abroad will have some time to enjoy this lovely country.