Manning to address AIDS talks

Prime Minister Patrick Manning will address the two-day Caribbean US Chiefs of Missions Conference on HIV/AIDS which starts at 8 am today at the Hilton Trinidad.

US Ambassador to TT Dr Roy Austin will also address the function, and a PAHO/WHO representative will deliver welcoming remarks. The conference will review progress on HIV/AIDS since the April 2002 Chiefs of Missions Conference held in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Participants will also discuss their local activities and future plans for HIV/AIDS prevention, control, care and treatment for the entire region. The opening session will also include a presentation by Aaron Charles of Torrib Trace Presbyterian School, one of the winners of the Ambassador’s “Song and Verse” contest. It was a joint production of the US Embassy and the Education Ministry.

At noon, participants will tour the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC), and will be entertained by students of Patna River Estate Government School, also one of the winners of the contest. The Caribbean Chiefs of Missions will present a final document to the media on Tuesday to conclude the conference. Among the 80 participants attending the conference are representatives of the US Department of State, US Department of Health and Human Services, US Agency for International Development, US Ambassadors from the Caribbean region, Caribbean Community Secretariat, CAREC, Caribbean Regional Network for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS, University of the West Indies and Caribbean Health Research Council.