Guyana gets it right criminalising HIV will not work!

Thursday, September 8, 2011 – 4:10 pm
A statement from the Joint United Nations Team on AIDS in Guyana Guyana gets it right criminalising HIV won’t work! 8 September, 2011— Guyana’s Special Select Committee of Parliament on the Criminal Responsibility of HIV Infected Individuals has chosen not to make the transmission of HIV a criminal act. The Joint United Nations Team on AIDS, coordinated by the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) congratulates the Parliamentary Committee for its mature and measured decision. Such a law would have deepened the climate of denial, secrecy and fear surrounding the virus in Guyana and in so doing reduce people’s willingness to learn their status and access treatment and support. Ironically, a measure meant to reduce the spread of HIV could have led to its increase. Many of the countries that have enacted laws related to the criminalisation of HIV are now reviewing their stance because of the negative implications for public health ...

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Guyana announces its HIVision2020.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011 – 1:26 pm
“The Guyana National HIV Strategy 2007 to 2011” will soon be coming to its end. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) recognises that this Strategy has brought Guyana to a point where it is a now strong leader in the Caribbean, because the country has the capacity to lead a vibrant and successful HIV response; leverages local finances and mobilises the necessary external resources; advocates internationally on behalf of Guyana, for its Caribbean neighbours, and the rest of the world; is innovative in its achievements towards HIV prevention; shares its knowledge and competencies with others; stimulates, appreciates, learns from and transfers local action. On Friday 24 June 2011, the Minister of Health, Honourable Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, in his keynote address to the ‘Guyana Business Coalition on AIDS Annual Awards Dinner,’ launched the country’s upcoming development of ‘Guyana HIVision2020.’ He said: “We are now at a point where we can move ...

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2010 WORLD AIDS DAY MESSAGE

Friday, December 3, 2010 – 11:35 am
Source: Guyana Chronicle Zero new HIV Infections, Zero Discrimination, Zero AIDS-related Deaths From the Executive Director of UNAIDS and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dr. Michel Sidibé. On this World AIDS Day we can be proud: Globally, we have reduced the number of new HIV infections and deaths by nearly 20%. This means less people are becoming infected with HIV and less people are dying from AIDS. 56 countries have either stabilized or significantly reduced the rate of new HIV infections. For the first time, we have broken the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic and reached the first part of the Millenium Development Goal for HIV. We have achieved this amazing milestone because families, communities, governments- and UNAIDS have united the world in an unprecedented movement. We are prevailing … with political commitment, leadership from all sectors, including leaders of faith … with science, with evidence, with human rights and passion. On this World AIDS Day we can remember: Our successes ...

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ILO in tripartite hosting of HIV/AIDS workplace seminar

Thursday, December 2, 2010 – 11:55 am
Source: Guyana Chronicle THE International Labour Organisation (ILO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), on Tuesday hosted a seminar, on the National HIV/AIDS Workplace Policy, for workers of Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam). In the Regional Boardroom at Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast, Project Coordinator Ms. Althea Lindo said the participants were drawn from the sea defence, Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and Guyana Labour Union (GLU). She said the policy was introduced by the Labour Ministry to protect persons living with HIV/AIDS from discrimination and unfair treatment at the workplace. Lindo said the seminar put focus on capacity building sensitisation and how to use the male and female condoms. Facilitator Ms. Dedeen Moore, of the ILO, said the policy must be adopted, as the minimum standards to be implemented, by all employers, trade unions, employees representatives and Government. She said it surrounds prevention to ...

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On World AIDS Day…

Thursday, December 2, 2010 – 11:39 am
Source: Guyana Chronicle St. Stanislaus defeats 11 other schools in debate THE Guyana Red Cross Society (GRCS) HIV/AIDS Programme hosted an Inter-School Impromptu Speaking Competition yesterday, at its Eve Leary, Kingston, Georgetown headquarters, in observance of World AIDS Day 2010. The occasion is celebrated globally on December 1 and it marked the start of the GRCS Anti-Stigma and Discrimination Campaign themed ‘Come Closer’. St. Stanislaus College emerged winner of the contest, defeating 11 other participating schools from Regions Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) and Four (Demerara/Mahaica), each of which made a presentation on a different topic under the global theme ‘Universal Access and Human Rights’. Speaking at the start of the rivalry, GRCS Field Manager, Mr. Apollo Kanhai, said it is part of the effort, by local and international partners, to increase awareness by placing the focus on young people. Emphasising the importance of youth involvement, he said: “In this way, we can have youths speak to ...

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Guyana, United States building on success in fighting AIDS

Wednesday, December 1, 2010 – 11:47 am
Source: Guyana Chronicle Written by By Thomas Pierce, Charge d'Affaires US Embassy in Georgetown WORLD AIDS Day is both a day of remembrance and a day of celebration. We must all remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS. It’s in their honour that we work each day to provide HIV prevention, treatment and care to millions across the globe. Yet, it’s also a day to celebrate those whose lives have been improved and saved in Guyana and throughout the world, thanks to global efforts to fight this devastating disease. On this World AIDS Day, it is important to remember that we have a shared responsibility to build on the success achieved to date by making smart investments that will ultimately save more lives. And there is much success to build on.  In Guyana, the United States, through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), directly supported life-saving antiretroviral treatment for ...

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Testing continuing ahead of World AIDS Day

Tuesday, November 30, 2010 – 11:49 am
Source: Guyana Chronicle EIGHT hundred primary and secondary schoolchildren, together with staff of the Education Ministry and other stakeholders, are to participate in an activity on the National Cultural Centre (NCC) tarmac to mark World AIDS Day, December 1. HIV/AIDS Focal Point within the Ministry, Ms. Janelle Sweatnam, said the December 1 programme is part of its HIV Prevention and Control Project that would see the participants forming a circle of care at 12:00 hrs. She said the gesture is symbolic of the need to offer care and support to persons living with the virus or affected by it. One minute of silence will be observed for people in the Education Sector and loved ones who have succumbed to HIV related illnesses. The occasion will be addressed by Education Minister Shaik Baksh and Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, as well as representatives of the three major religions and the Guyana Faith and HIV ...

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Stabilization/significant declines in rates of new HIV infections seen in 56 countries –

Monday, November 29, 2010 – 11:57 am
Source: Guyana Chronicle UNAIDS Global AIDS Report 2010 A new report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), released last Thursday,  shows that the AIDS epidemic is beginning to change course, as the number of people newly infected with HIV is declining and AIDS-related deaths are decreasing. According to the report, released ahead of World AIDS Day 2010, the AIDS epidemic has been halted and the world is beginning to reverse the spread of HIV. “New HIV infections have fallen by nearly 20% in the last 10 years, AIDS-related deaths are down by nearly 20% in the last five years, and the total number of people living with HIV is stabilizing,” the report says. “Together, this is contributing to the stabilization of the total number of people living with HIV in the world,” it observed. But even as Executive Director of UNAIDS, Mr. Michel Sidibé, lauds this development as a ‘breaking of the ...

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At annual health fair…

Friday, November 26, 2010 – 12:04 pm
Source:  Guyana Chronicle Ramsammy commends GDF on significant HIV/AIDS fight contribution THE Guyana Defence Force (GDF), continuing its 45th anniversary observances, hosted its annual HIV/AIDS Health Fair, on Thursday, at the Drill Square, Base Camp Ayanganna, Georgetown. The staging was because the Army considers itself part of the wider effort to fight the scourge and, in this regard, remains consistent in partnerships with the Ministry of Health and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, who delivered the feature address on the occasion, commended the GDF for its work. He said it contributes, considerably, to the overall effort to fight HIV/AIDS. “The Force has not only performed its role as the security arm of the nation but also as a developmental instrument of our country. GDF has, indeed, been a genuine partner in promoting health in our country. It has developed its own internal mechanisms for providing better health and has extended that ...

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‘Don’t become complacent’ in HIV/AIDS fight

Saturday, November 6, 2010 – 3:07 pm
Source:  Guyana Chronicle PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten, – Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has told the region that there is no room for complacency in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Delivering the feature address at the opening ceremony of the 10th Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) Annual General Meeting  last Sunday,  the former UN boss said that 30 years since the start of the terrible epidemic, too many people still get infected and too many die of AIDS-related illness. “Discrimination, including the flouting of the most basic human rights, is still widespread for those living with HIV/AIDS,” Annan told the opening ceremony, adding: “And while we have seen real progress across the board, five more people still contract the virus for every two who start treatment.” An estimated 240,000 people live today with HIV in the Caribbean, while 20,000 more are infected each year. However, Caribbean officials say the work of PANCAP ...

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