The Health Economics Unit (HEU) of The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine has received a grant of US$140,000 for a project on “HIV and Human Development in the Caribbean.” In a recent ceremony in the Office of the Principal, Professor Gurmohan Kochhar, Deputy Principal of the St. Augustine Campus and Mr. Shoji Nishimoto, Assistant Secretary General and Director, Bureau for Development Policy in the UNDP, signed the Agreement that facilitates the transfer of the funds.

The project, which is being funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under its HIV-AIDS Regional Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean, is designed to boost the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS response programmes in the Caribbean.

The HEU has been a leader in this field for more than a decade and is the only institution in this region with the capacity to undertake the research that is needed to address the critical issues raised by the socioeconomic impact of HIV/AIDS on the region. In his remarks Professor Theodore made the point that being the only regional university, the UWI has an obligation to undertake this type of research, since the incidence of HIV/AIDS in this region is higher than anywhere else in the world except sub-Saharan Africa. He described the support as timely.

Over the past few years the HEU has devoted most of its resources to the fight against HIV/AIDS. To date, the Unit has completed economic impact studies on several countries and has been responsible for preparing and costing the national HIV/AIDS response plans in a number of countries, including Trinidad and Tobago. At present, the HEU is working with countries in the region to strengthen and update these Plans. This is the context of the present Agreement with the UNDP.

Professor Kochhar reiterated that the UWI has had a long and productive relationship with the UNDP and that this project, which is of great importance to the region, reinforced that relationship. Moreover, the UWI looks forward to further collaboration with the UNDP in areas where its research capacity is of immediate applicability so that Centres of Excellence may be established in the furtherance of research. Mr. Nishimoto agreed and emphasized the importance of sound, empirical research in addressing major issues in society such as HIV/AIDS. He also noted that institutions such as the UWI have a critical role to play in undertaking research that has an impact on the development of the countries of the region. His comments were endorsed by the UNDP Resident Representative, Dr. Inyang Ebong-Harstrup, who emphasized that the UNDP was always happy to work with a Centre of Excellence like the HEU.