National Aids Co-ordinating Committee

ABOUT THE NATIONAL AIDS CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE

The National AIDS Co-ordinating Committee (NACC)  is a multisectoral body established to co-ordinate the national response to HIV and AIDS.  The establishment of the committee was approved by Cabinet in February of this year once the decision to transfer the responsibility for co-ordination of the national response back to the Office of the Prime Minister. The committee comprise representatives from government ministries, persons living with HIV, civil society, faith based organisations, academic and research institutions, trade unions, private sector,  youth, Tobago House of Assembly and UN organisations. There are also representatives from Tobago.  The NACC  will be operational for a period of two years and will be supported by a Secretariat in the Office of the Prime Minister.

The mandate of the NACC  inter alia is to:

• build and deepen multisectoral partnership with the public, private and non-government sectors to achieve national commitment, support and ownership of the response to HIV and AIDS,
• determine the future evolution of the NACC into a statutory body
• co-ordinate and support activities pursuant to the reduction of the people’s susceptibility to HIV and AIDS
• Establish goals and targets of the priority strategic areas
• Monitor and evaluate the implementation and attainment of national goals, objectives and targets with respect to HIV and AIDS as identified in the national strategic plan
• Define a national HIV policy and provide guidance on sectoral policies
• Champion and accelerate the legislative agenda required to support HIV and AIDS responses, programmes and plans
• Undertake multidisciplinary research on issues related to the social, economic and psychological antecedents and impacts of HIV and AIDS on individuals, families, communities, businesses and other sectors
• Build capacity of stakeholders to mount an effective response
• Co-ordinate and provide guidance on the activities of HIV Co-ordinators in the various ministries
• Approve budgets and funding required for implementation of HIV response processes

The goals of the National Strategic Plan 2013 to 2018 are: to reduce the incidence of HIV infections in Trinidad and Tobago;  to mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS on persons living with and affected by HIV and AIDS  and to reduce HIV and AIDS related stigma and discrimination in Trinidad and Tobago