(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Representatives of the Region’s media industry will meet on December 7-9, 2006 in Barbados, at the third Champions for Change Conference aimed at accelerating the process to reduce HIV and AIDS stigma and discrimination.

Convened by the CARICOM-coordinated Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), this third conference seeks to secure the informed commitment and concerted approach of the Region’s media industry in helping to advance the process of reducing HIV and AIDS stigma and discrimination in the Caribbean. It brings together regional decision makers and practitioners in the media industry, Caribbean and international HIV/AIDS technical specialists and personnel.

With a view to developing a plan of action to advance the process of tackling HIV and AIDS stigma and discrimination participants will, among other issues, examine the factors that act as barriers to their effective contribution. They will also explore how ICTs, in particular Virtual Reality, as communication tools could be optimally used in designing stigma reduction programmes, consider media best practices in health and make recommendations for their application to this region.

A key feature of the Conference is a Town Hall Meeting on December 8 at the Sherbourne Conference Centre, where a panel which includes the Hon. Dr Denzil Douglas, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and current chair of CARICOM and PANCAP will discuss this issue. The programme will be transmitted live via satellite.

Champions for Change is a DFID/CARICOM/PANCAP Initiative which seeks to address the issue of stigma and discrimination through key advocates who are leaders in their communities and willing to be forerunners in the effort to change attitudes. The first Conference in St. Kitts and Nevis in 2004 brought together a wide cross-section of representatives from government, private sector, civil society, cultural and sporting icons among others, to develop strategies and to forge partnerships for an effective response. The Plan of Action of that first conference recommended more focussed interaction with specific sectors of society. In this context, in 2005 a conference was held for regional faith-based organisations and a programme of work is currently being implemented.

The Conference begins at 7 p.m. at the Savannah Hotel, at which remarks will be given by the Chair of PANCAP, Prime Minister Douglas and Dr. Carol Jacobs, Chair of the Board of the Global Fund. The feature address will be given by the Hon. Joseph Atherley, Minister of State, Office of the Prime Minister, Barbados.