PRIME MINISTER Samuel Hinds, United States Ambassador to Guyana Brent Hardt and United Nation Development Programme Resident Representative, Khadjia Musa Sunday morning joined other civil society representative groups in the “walk” against HIV and AIDS campaign aimed at raising awareness of the epidemic and in support of combating the disease.

The “walk,” among several activities organised and celebrated by the Ministry of Health to mark World AIDS Day, which is observed on December 1 every year, started from outside of Parliament and ended a few doors from the Masjid An Najm, Albouystown, where in a vacant lot, under a tent, representatives of the various organisations pledged to support the fight and “Getting to Zero.”
The theme for World AIDS Day 2012, “Getting to Zero”, means “Zero new infections, zero discrimination, zero AIDS related deaths.” Guyana is on track to achieving the zeros, with the support of all concerned.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds said that he was very pleased at the status of the HIV epidemic in Guyana. He said that the status has changed very significantly since 2000. “Then, all the statistics were rising and the projections were up and there were great concerns,’ he said.
Attributing the leveling-off of the statistics to the collective effort of all the organisations included in the walk, the Prime Minister reminded that together, all must face the new challenge of persevering and working together to get the stats down to zero.
“We are happy to march in solidarity with all of you today, to reflect on the on-going effort over the past 20 years to combat HIV and AIDS,” US Ambassador to Guyana Brent Hardt said.
Hardt also read recent remarks of the US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, in which she said, ‘the goal of an AIDS-free generation may be ambitious, but it is now possible, with the knowledge and intervention that we have right now.’
He said the statement highlights aptly the US determination to continue the fight against HIV and AIDS. He said that while several years ago an AIDS-free generation may have been ambitious, it is today possible with the knowledge and intervention available.
The US Ambassador asserted that Clinton’s statement captures both the optimism and the challenge that must be faced as we move ahead. “There is still a lot more to be done and for this all need to continue to come together. This means, making sure that our policies are in line with laws and we are continuing to combat discrimination and stigma and that we are out there making sure that we are preventing new infections,” he said.
“As we go forward, we will continue to focus on ensuring all our dollars are invested soundly, that we are really building for the long term and that we are ending stigma and discrimination,” Hardt pledged, and added that “this is a shared responsibility for all of us …we are all touched by this and we need to continue to work together to achieve an AIDS-free generation.” (GINA)