By :Hon. Dr . Leslie Ramsammy Minister of Agriculture, Guyana

1. Overcoming Social & Cultural Barriers to STOP HIV By :Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy Minister of Agriculture, Guyana

2. Guyana is on a path and on pace to achieve our collective targets • Zero new HIV infections • Zero discrimination • Zero AIDS-related deaths • Zero mother-to-child transmission and keeping mothers alive Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy – Minister of Agriculture , Republic of Guyana

3. Political will and commitment Willingness to confront social and culture norms that impede progress Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy – Minister of Agriculture , Republic of Guyana

4. Actions to overcome social and cultural norms • Boldly rejecting efforts by Members of Parliament to broadly criminalize HIV transmission and exposure • Starting national dialogue on decriminalization of homosexuality and sex work • Enact Sexual Offences Act, targeting the unequal relationship between men and women Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy – Minister of Agriculture , Republic of Guyana

5. Actions to overcome social and cultural norms • Training health care professionals to recognize and report domestic and sexual abuse • A Rights-based Commission on Women and Gender Equality and Rights of the Child • Establishing a Child Protection Agency • Establishing a Men’s Affairs Bureau Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy – Minister of Agriculture , Republic of Guyana

6. A national conversation Achieving a National Approach on the Matters of Homosexuality and Sex Work Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy – Minister of Agriculture , Republic of Guyana

7. Guyana’s Parliament denounced efforts to criminalize HIV transmission (September 2011) Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy – Minister of Agriculture , Republic of Guyana

8. Guyana’s empowering environment Guyana’s approach: • Expand programmes that have been proven to reduce HIV transmission, while protecting human, rights. • Strengthen and enforce laws against rape (inside and outside marriage) and to recognize and punish other forms of violence against women and children Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy – Minister of Agriculture , Republic of Guyana

9. Our current approach has worked • HIV prevalence among pregnant women: 0.8% • HIV+ pregnant women 850 - in 2000; <100 in 2011 • HIV+ babies from 150 in 2000 to 6 in 2011 • HIV Prevalence in Guyana: 3 to 5% in 2000 to 1.2% in 2011 Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy – Minister of Agriculture , Republic of Guyana

10. Our current approach has worked • New AIDS cases: About 500 cases annually in 2000 to less that 40 by 2011 • AIDS-related deaths ~9.5% of all deaths prior to 2000 to < 4% of all deaths by 2011 • More than 3,500 persons are on ARV-based treatment Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy – Minister of Agriculture , Republic of Guyana

11. HIVision 2020 – towards zero • Eliminate sexual transmission of HIV • Zero mothers dying from AIDS. Zero babies with HIV • Ensure persons living with HIV receive treatment • Prevent TB morbidity in persons living with HIV • Promote harm reduction and demand reduction Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy – Minister of Agriculture , Republic of Guyana

12. HIVision 2020 – towards zero • Empower gay men and other men who have sex with men; sex workers and transgender persons to protect themselves, and have universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care services • Remove punitive laws, policies, practices, stigma and discrimination that block effective responses to HIV Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy – Minister of Agriculture , Republic of Guyana

13. HIVision 2020 – towards zero • Meet the needs of women and girls and stop sexual and gender violence • Empower young people to protect themselves from HIV • Enhance social protection for people affected by HIV. Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy – Minister of Agriculture , Republic of Guyana

14. Our goal Zero new infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related Deaths Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy – Minister of Agriculture , Republic of Guyana

15. THANK YOU! Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy – Minister of Agriculture , Republic of Guyana