Former Chairman of the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Board of the Barbados National HIV Commission, Dr. Carol Jacobs, will lead the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS (CBMP) as the new Chair of its Board of Trustees. Dr. Jacobs, who has over twenty years experience working in HIV both regionally and internationally, noted that she is looking forward to this new chapter of work with the regional charity.
" I have always felt the need to engage our media more fully in the Caribbean's response to HIV, so CBMP's request for my assistance is timely in providing a different path for me to continue my support of local and regional initiatives to stem the HIV epidemic. As the charity continues its work to mobilize the region's broadcast media make HIV a business priority, I hope to use my experience to assist them in working more closely with National Commissions, Government Ministries and NGO's to build effective and productive partnerships. The work of the CBMP is therefore pivotal to ensuring that as a region, we increase our focus on HIV prevention to enable behaviour change that will hopefully reduce the triggers of the spread of this disease", Dr. Jacobs stated.
CBMP Executive Director Dr. Allyson Leacock acknowledged that with her "vast experience Dr. Jacobs is well placed to provide dynamic and effective leadership" as the Charity continues to work at strengthening the response of regional broadcasters to HIV matters.
"The CBMP is honoured to have someone of Dr. Jacobs' calibre accepting the Board's invitation to take over at the helm of our Board of Trustees, after being recommended by another distinguished global leader in the field of HIV, former Chairman Sir George Alleyne. Dr. Jacobs' unique qualities of poise and diplomacy coupled with innovation and courage to confront the complexities of HIV in the region, are ideal for the institutional development and sustainability of the CBMP at this juncture." With a full schedule of programme activities for 2010 as well as our new "This is Me" Creative Campaign being launched this month, we truly value the enthusiasm and professionalism not only of our new Chair but also the other new members of the CBMP Board" Dr. Leacock stated.
Dr. Jacobs has served as Chair of the Barbados National Advisory Committee on AIDS based in the Ministry of Health and has represented Barbados and the Caribbean on the board of the WHO's Global Program on AIDS and subsequently on the Program Coordinating Board of the Joint United Nations Program on AIDS (UNAIDS). She has been recognized by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) with the Gold Medal and is the sole recipient of the Barbados Gold Medal of Achievement, which was awarded by the Government of Barbados in April 2006.
Joining Dr. Jacobs as new members on the CBMP Board of Trustees are General Manager of the National Broadcasting Corporation of St. Vincent & The Grenadines and CBMP Steering Committee Chair, Ms. Corletha Ollivierre, GIPA Representative on the Global Fund Board and CBMP Champion Mr. Ainsley Reid of Jamaica and Managing Partner of KPMG Barbados Ms. Carol Nicholls of Barbados. The remaining Board members are Dr. David McBean, CEO of CVM Communications Group in Jamaica and CBMP Executive Director.
Established in 2006, the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS (CBMP) unites 92 top broadcasters from 24 countries in the region's first coordinated media response to the HIV pandemic. The Partnership creates a structured framework for sharing information and resources among broadcasters that significantly expands HIV/AIDS-related programming and public education activities across the Caribbean. Member broadcasters deliver HIV/AIDS information across a variety of platforms and formats, including targeted public service announcements (PSAs), entertainment programming, news and public affairs programming, and online resources.
In 2007, the CBMP launched LIVE UP – the Caribbean's first media-led regional initiative that links people together with one message of hope and possibility and inspires everyone to consider what is within their power to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS. The CBMP is the regional action arm of the Global Media AIDS Initiative (www.thegmai.org), a U.N.-supported effort conceived by the Kaiser Family Foundation in partnership with UNAIDS to mobilize the world's media in response to AIDS.
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and The Ford Foundation are supporting partners of the CBMP.
For more information on the CBMP at http://www.cbmphiv.org and to learn more about LIVE UP and the new LIVE UP: This is Me creative campaign you may visit http://www.iliveup.com.
