BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, October 9, 2017 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Former President of the United States of America (USA), Mr. William “Bill” Jefferson Clinton, has commended the leadership of St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, on the promotion of the health and wellness of women, adolescent girls and children in the Caribbean.

 

On Monday, July 24, 2017, Prime Minister Harris, in his capacity as CARICOM’s Lead Head on Human Resources, Health and HIV/AIDS, addressed prominent leaders from various sectors at a Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) event in New York City, which was aimed at promoting partnership and expanding support for the Every Caribbean Woman, Every Caribbean Child initiative.  Since then, Prime Minister Harris’ address has been applauded by numerous prominent persons including President Clinton, who held one-on-one discussions with St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister on a wide range of issues affecting the Caribbean region including the progress of the region in eliminating the transmission of HIV from mother to child.

 

In a letter to Prime Minister Harris, President Clinton personally thanked the St. Kitts and Nevis prime minister for attending the event, adding, “I’m glad we had the opportunity to discuss ways to advance healthcare in the Caribbean, and I know all of the participants benefitted from your insights. I am grateful for your leadership on this important issue…and I’m also especially pleased we could sit down together before the meeting.”

In response, Prime Minister Harris acknowledged the strides and success of the Clinton Global Initiative, which was launched some 15 years ago.

 

He said, “The Clinton Global Initiative has been one initiative internationally that has been very responsive to bringing issues of inequality and supporting solutions for addressing inequality towards women.”

 

Dr. Harris specifically advocated for the expansion of partnerships with development and donor agencies such as the Clinton Global Initiative, in order to accelerate the strides the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is making, specifically as it relates to the transmission of HIV from mother to child

 

A communiqué from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that during a meeting of the Global Validation Advisory Committee (GVAC), St. Kitts and Nevis was validated as achieving the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis – becoming one of the first English-speaking countries to be certified in this regard.

 

Also present at that event was the Most Honorable , Juliet Holness, First Lady of Jamaica, Her Excellency Mrs. Sandra Granger, First Lady of the Co-operative Republic  of Guyana and other representatives from several women’s groups including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

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