MONTEGO BAY, St James – The opening session of the UWI Development and Endowment Fund’s second annual Caribbean Philanthropy Conference was cancelled Tuesday, as neither main presenter Denzil Douglas, the prime minister of St Kitts Nevis, nor his deputy, Sam Terrence Condor, could attend.

Organisers said yesterday that the Kittitian prime minister sent an apology by e-mail on Wednesday that he would be unable to attend to deliver his presentation on “Philanthropy and the role of Caricom”, due to conflicting commitments and that his deputy would attend in his place.

However, Condor was delayed at the Julianna Airport in St Maarten, on his way to Jamaica, after the airport closed Wednesday due to unstable weather from a tropical depression.

The remainder of the morning session, however, continued as scheduled with a panel discussion on HIV/AIDS with Ruth Jankee, general manager of Jamaica National Building Society Foundation, formerly of Jamaica AIDS Support; Mark Connolly, regional advisor on children and AIDS, UNICEF Panama; and Dr Karen McNeil, executive director of the KB Reynolds Trust, based in the United States.

All three presenters lauded Prime Minister Douglas, as well as renowned Haitian musician, Wyclef Jean of the Fugees fame, for their work with HIV/AIDS in the region.

The discussion also focused on the availability and access to funds for organisations which support persons with HIV/AIDS, the prevalence of the virus among persons in Jamaica and the Caribbean, and the lack of access in rural townships where testing services were not readily available.

The conference, being held at the Rosehall Resort and Country Club here, is jointly hosted by the National Centre for Black Philanthropy based in Washington DC. It will close today with a presentation on ‘Entertainers Philanthropic Reinvestment in Our People’ by Rita Marley and famed Black American actor Danny Glover, UNICEF goodwill ambassador.