U.S. – Caribbean Regional HIV/AIDS Partnership Framework

The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is a worldwide program launched in 2003 to combat and limit the spread of the HIV/AIDS disease. PEPFAR represents the largest commitment in history made by a nation to a single disease and since its inception has treated over 2 million HIV-infected persons, provided care for over 10 million and prevented 7 million new infections.

The Caribbean region has the second highest rate of HIV/AIDS prevalence in the world, second only to sub-Saharan Africa. The AIDS epidemic continues to be the leading cause of death among Caribbean adults age 20-59 years of age and has left nearly a quarter of a million Caribbean children orphaned. In 2009, some 12,000 Caribbean nationals died of AIDS, and an estimated 18,000 people were newly infected with HIV.

Started in 2009, PEPFAR’s Caribbean Regional Program, is coordinated from the U.S. Embassy in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, as part of the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) in Washington D.C. Five other U.S. Embassies are part of the regional program including the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. With a focus on partnership and country ownership, the program works closely with country National AIDS Programs and other regional partners including UNAIDS, PAHO, the World Bank and the Global Fund.

The U.S. – Caribbean Regional HIV and AIDS Partnership Framework is the five-year strategy document, and the U.S. – Caribbean Regional HIV/AIDS Partnership Framework Implementation Plan is the five-year implementation document. Annual Regional Operational Plans are submitted to OGAC for work plan and budget approval.

Program Areas:

Partnership Framework program areas include: Prevention, Strategic Information, Laboratory Strengthening and Health Systems Strengthening.

The Caribbean Regional Partnership Framework is signed by the following countries:

Antigua & Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Dominica
Grenada
Jamaica
St. Kitts & Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad & Tobago

The Caribbean Regional Partnership Framework is signed by the following regional partners:

The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
Pan-American Partnership against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP)

The U.S. Government Agencies participating in PEPFAR in the Caribbean Region:

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Department of Defense
Peace Corps
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Department of State

IMAGE: Partnership Framework signing event April 2010.