Haiti Democracy Project

www.haitipolicy.org

President Jean-Bertrand Aristide Leads Fight Against AIDS in Haiti by Launching a Multi-Sector Coordination and Strategic Plan

Taking concrete steps to combat HIV and AIDS in Haiti, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide today launched a five-year strategic plan (2001-2006) for a coherent government-led national response. This new approach, which encompasses a multi-sector commission, is possible through President Aristide's strong leadership skills and demonstrated commitment to wage a coordinated effort against AIDS. HIV/AIDS negatively impacts all aspects of Haitian society and through the common efforts of a multi-sector commission initiatives can be integrated through a national development plan.

In 1995 President Aristide visited persons suffering from AIDS in a hospice in Port-au-Prince on International AIDS Day drawing attention to the plight of the patients there and his message that a national mobilization must be coordinated on all fronts.

In today's conference, which was attended by international organizations, non-governmental organizations, civil society, private sector, persons with AIDS, Haitian government offices, entertainers, media, medical, social and academic professionals, President Aristide told the packed conference room that, "we cannot be indifferent" when 300,000 persons in Haiti are infected. Illuminating the national momentum to address this tragedy, President Aristide said that while Haiti does not have much money, it does have the will to combat AIDS by mobilizing its human resources. Stating that "everyone has the right to live," President Aristide, through providing this institutional framework, is creating a mechanism for the enforcement and respect of individual and human rights.

Haiti is currently one of the few countries in which a trial vaccine against HIV is being tested.