OVERVIEW
The Inter-American Economic Council (Council) is hosting a Summit on HIV/AIDS on January 21 in St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. The theme of this year's Summit is "The Economic Impact of HIV-AIDS on the Caribbean." The Program will be held in the Constituency of U.S. Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen MD, a Medical Doctor who serves as Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. It will take place on U.S. soil with Government Represenatives, Caricom Government Ministers, Health Care Officials, the OAS, PAHO, and Officials from the Caricom Secretariat who can speak to new strategies and ways of working together. The themes of this program will focus on bringing affordable treatments for HIV/AIDS to the Caribbean and the Economic Consequences of HIV/AIDS for the Region. Why the Caribbean? The Numbers are staggering. The AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 24,000 lives in the Caribbean in 2005 making it the leading cause of death among adults aged 15-44. Indeed, the Caribbean has the second highest incidence per capita in the world of HIV/AIDS after Sub-Saharan Africa with 300,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. As a region in development the Caribbean has had to face a scourge that has seen its economic resources dwindled with necessary expenditures on health care that would have otherwise been spent on development programs and in some nations there is simply not a sufficient amount of resources to handle the epidemic. Moreover, the disease has torn families apart, drawn people out of the work force and has caused suffering across the region.
The Summit will be a proactive program practically focused to develop new innovative strategies by bringing together leading thinkers, practitioners, and experts in the field from Government, Business, and Civil Society. It will also educate policymakers about work that is already being done in the region and work that needs to be done.




SPEAKERS
- Members of the U.S. House of Representatives Congressional Caribbean Caucus
- Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
- CARICOM Secretariat
- Organization of American States
- Ministers of Government from the Caribbean Community
- Health Care Providers from the Caribbean
- The Academic Community



SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Please call (202) 548-0400 for details.



EVENT VENUE & ACCOMODATIONS

The Buccaneer
St. Croix
US Virgin Islands
Tel: (800) 255-3881 / Fax: (340) 712-2100
Guest Numbers
Tel: (340) 712-2100 / Fax: (340) 712-2105






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