According to a release from the Prime Minister’s office, Mr. D. Brent Hardt, Charge d’Affaires, at the U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados, has invited the St. Kitts and Nevis leader to address at the January 12 and 13 meeting at the Hilton Hotel in Barbados which is aimed at strengthening the health partnership between the United States and the Caribbean.

“Your participation in this meeting will provide an ideal opportunity for you to set the stage for our ensuing discussions with our host government partners on the importance of country ownership and sustainable programming in the context of PEPFAR, while highlighting our shared determination to build a strong partnership to combat HIV and AIDS with the entire Caribbean region,” said Mr. Hardt.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health, Marcella Liburd will also be attending the meeting. It is the first opportunity to bring together the Ministers of Health from all twelve Partnership Framework participation countries with United States Ambassadors from these countries to assess the progress and chart the way forward.

The Barbados meeting also marks the completion of the first year of implementation of the Caribbean Regional Partnership Framework for HIV and AIDS and all twelve Partnership Framework countries and the two regional partners – PANCAP and the OECS – will be represented.

Representatives from the PEPFAR bilateral programs in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Guyana will also be in attendance.

The first day will include USG team and Steering Committee meetings, while the second day will focus on national programs and their implementing partners.

The primary focus of the meeting is on country ownership in the spirit of PEPFAR II.