MINISTER of Social Cohesion Amna Ally was yesterday paid a courtesy call by Special Envoy of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General in the Caribbean Region Dr. Edward Greene, who is currently on a six-day official mission in Guyana. Dr. Greene was accompanied by UNAIDS Country Director to Suriname and Guyana, Dr. Martin Odiit.The purpose of this mission is to discuss with key government officials, issues in relation to the Fast-Tracking of HIV Response 2015-2020 initiative. This is part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals agenda and the UNAIDS Extended Strategy 2016-2021.

Meanwhile, the team also met with First Lady Mrs. Sandra Granger at her office. During that engagement, Dr. Odiit assured Mrs Granger that UNAIDS stands ready to support her in her advocacy and efforts.

The First Lady in an invited comment, said “Moving forward, there is now a clear picture of what strategies can be used to aid UNAIDS work to reach their goal of ensuring that by 2030, 90 percent of people with HIV are tested and 90 percent of those tested are on treatment.”

The Joint UN Programme in HIV/AIDS brings together the efforts and resources of 11 organisations to unite the world against AIDS. It is coordinated by the UNAIDS Secretariat, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. (Ministry of the Presidency)