People living with HIV and Aids or PLWHAs will have further opportunities to inform programmes undertaken through the work of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States OECS HIV/AIDS Project Unit (HAPU) in helping Member States to deal with the deadly virus..

The OECS Secretariat continues to build capacity in the health sector, this time as it relates to management, with the launch of a Virtual Leadership Development Program (VLDP). The VLDP will be launched on March 15, 2010. The goal of the programme is to strengthen the leadership skills and competencies for country teams as they implement HIV programmes and concurrently begin the process of integrating HIV into the Primary Health Care systems.

The OECS Secretariat joins the HIV/AIDS Community in celebrating WORLD AIDS DAY.

Historically when there was much uncertainty/trepidation amongst population groups and the possibility that risk/threat to human survival was exceptionally high, civilized societies opted to put in place agreements among it citizen that will regulate the individual behaviour in respect of each other that would give equal opportunity for survival.

A cross section of professionals involved in the HIV Response in the Caribbean met in Trinidad and Tobago recently for a training workshop aimed at preparing them to meet the requirements of reporting on progress to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS ) on HIV and AIDS. The Caribbean is proud of its record as the only region that recorded 100 percent of countries reporting for the 2008 UNGASS.