The following is an an address delivered by the Hon. Karl Hood, Minister of Health, Grenada and Chair of the OECS Health Ministers on the Occasion of the Opening of the 12th Ordinary Meeting of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism, PANCAP Bay Gardens Hotel, Saint Lucia 27 -28 April 2009 * Hon. John Fabien, Minister of Health and the Environment, Commonwealth of Dominica and Chair of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism of PANCAP * Mr. Edward Emmanuel, Programme Manager, PANCAP Coordinating Mechanism and Chair of the Opening Proceedings of this Meeting * Mr. Felix St. Hill, Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Saint Lucia * Prof. Peter Figueroa, Deputy Chair of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism of PANCAP * Mr. Carl Browne, Director, PANCAP * Members of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism, PANCAP * Officials of the CARICOM Secretariat and PANCAP Coordinating Mechanism * Officials of the Ministry of Health and National AIDS Programme of Saint Lucia * Members of the Media * Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen I am delighted to be present as the official delegate of Grenada at 12th Ordinary Meeting of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism of the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS that is being held in this beautiful island of Saint Lucia. My presence at this meeting is symbolic of the abiding interest that I hold in the imperative of ensuring universal access to HIV-related prevention, treatment, care and support services for all citizens of my native Grenada and the Caribbean as a whole; and I am here to contribute in whatever way I can to the exchanges and decision-making. There is no one in this room today that needs reminding of the health, social and economic impact of HIV and AIDS to the fragile economies of our region. The statistics are clear. The most recent epidemiological data put out by UNAIDS underline the continuing gravity and urgency of the problem, with more than 14,000 deaths from AIDS recorded in 2008 and an estimated 20,000 new persons becoming infected during that same period. And, the projection is that life expectancy at birth would have declined by as much as 9-10 years in some countries by 2010 as a direct consequence of AIDS. As well, it is known that several countries and territories with economies that are heavily dependent on tourism rank among the worst affected in the region. In this regard, the landmark 2006 Report of the Caribbean Commission on Health and Development predicts grimly that the region would experience significant contractions in key sectors such as tourism, agriculture and manufacturing if the epidemic were to proceed unchecked. The cumulative effect would be an increasing level of poverty and vulnerability in the region. These are the grim statistics that must heighten individual interest and propel community, national and regional action and, in large measure, explain my presence at this meeting. As I speak to you today, I have many concerns but none more potent than issues surrounding the sustainability of our national and regional HIV and AIDS programmes. Increasingly, I get the impression that many of our traditional development partners no longer see the HIV and AIDS situation in the Caribbean as looming and urgent and, as a consequence, the flow of resources are either being drastically reduced, diverted to other regions or discontinued altogether. If my perception is correct then, to my mind, this is an error of judgment on the part of some of our key development partners, the consequences of which will be felt not long from now as the disease continues its stealthy onward march, not only among our most at-risk groups, but in the general population as well. I agonize daily on the future of our youth who are the bedrock of our societies and I visualize a foreboding human disaster in the making unless there is a rapid reversal of funding policies. For, let us be blunt, there is no country in the Caribbean that can fight this fight without considerable external assistance. This is not mendicancy; it is the fact of life. It is in this context that I wish to congratulate PEPFAR for increasing its support to the region in its second coming, and at a time when we need it as much as ever. We feel confident that such resources will be applied in the most strategic way for the collective benefit of the region. And so, I look forward to the interaction of the next two days as together to seek to find new and effective ways of responding to the crisis that confronts us in the region. The people of the region, especially our youth, are counting on us and we must not fail them. I thank you!