UNITED States’ chiefs of mission for the Caribbean will be meeting in Kingston between today and Friday for the sixth annual Chiefs of Mission Conference on HIV/AIDS, being held under the theme, “The role of Regional Co-operation in Fighting HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean”.

The meeting is being held in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Centre for Disease Control’s Caribbean Regional Programme.

The aim of the conference, according to the US EMBASSY IN KINGSTON, is to provide American Chiefs of Mission in the Caribbean with an understanding of the various levels of assistance being given to the region by the United States Government and other agencies to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. “Conference participants will also discuss perspectives and opportunities for the Ambassadors to use their leadership roles to advocate a continued focus on the disease within the US government and in their respective host countries. Lessons and successes learned in HIV and AIDS programming in the Caribbean will also be reviewed,” said a statement from the US Embassy.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding is slated to deliver remarks at the opening ceremony on Wednesday, while keynote speaker will be Dr Robert Gallo, pioneer in the field of human retrovirology and director of the Human Virology Institute at the University of Maryland.

Other presenters will include Berta Fernandez, programme officer at the International Organisation for Migration Regional Office for North America and the Caribbean, and Dr Peter Figueroa, chief of epidemiology and AIDS in Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Environment.

Some of the topics to be discussed include sustainability of the effort to mitigate the effect of HIV/AIDS in the region, combating stigma and discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS, human trafficking and HIV/AIDS, and the impact of HIV/AIDS on children.

American chiefs of mission from Barbados, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica, Cuba, Suriname, Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas will participate in the conference.