U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan Appoints WHO Official as Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Caribbean

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday appointed George Alleyne, a senior official in the Americas of the World Health Organization, as his special envoy for HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean, according to a U.N. release. Alleyne will ensure follow-up in the region to the U.N. General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS and the Pan-Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS. In addition, he will work closely with UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot and Edwine Carrington, the secretary general of the Caribbean Community, as well as other Caribbean leaders, U.N. team members and resident coordinators in each country (U.N. release, 2/4). The Caribbean region has the second highest HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate in the world, second only to Africa, according to UNAIDS figures (Xinhua News Agency, 2/4).