The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams, as Chair of the HIV/Aids Committee, held a follow-up meeting with Sandra Jones, HIV/STI Technical Advisor for the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization PAHO/WHO and principles of the HIV/AIDS project of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor on Monday. The meeting was held as a follow-up and update regarding the Contribution Agreement governing the implementation of the EC/OCT Project of the "Strengthening the Integration of the British and Dutch OCTs in the Regional Response to HIV/AIDS through the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS", which was signed by PAHO/WHO and the European Community (EC) in October 2008. The overall objective of the project is to halt and reverse the spread of HIV within the British and Dutch OCTs.
Project implementation commenced in 2009 and has focused on the strengthening of the response in the OCTs, given their realities. The first two years emphasised the establishment and finalization of mechanisms and structures for project implementation, while strengthening the capacity of territories to scale-up its response in a strategic manner. During the period of implementation the project has strived to strengthen and expand services for HIV (based on the realities and needs of the territories), while emphasizing the human rights of all individuals. The project also utilizes different strategies and approaches to the development of outputs and outcomes so as to ensure a sustained impact after the closure of the project.