"We are really excited about it," said Ainsley Reid, the head of CRN+ in Jamaica who will send 18 delegates. "It is an opportunity to exchange ideas and showcase AIDS in the Caribbean," he said whilst in New York attending the UN special session on AIDS.

The conference, which will be held from October 27-31, was due to be held in the Caribbean. Previous conference have been held in Colorado, Paris, and Poland.

"The International Conference has already taken place in Africa, Asia and in Eastern Europe," said Dr. Peter Piot, head of UNAIDS. "Each conference has been an opportunity to bring higher attention to the needs of the host region. The selection of the Caribbean as the site for 2001 is critically important as some of the island nations have worse epidemics than any other country in the world outside sub-Saharan Africa. This shows clearly how urgent it is to take strong action against the epidemic in this part of the world and no doubt, the venue of Port-of-Spain will provide much-needed emphasis to that effect."

The conference provides people living with HIV/AIDS who volunteer as peer counselors and educations in their homes communities to meet, discuss, and compare notes on different approaches, and medical advances.

In preparation for the conference Trinidad released its first five year national strategy last week in cooperation with UNAIDS. The strategy is an across the board approach to combating AIDS in the country involving groups like CRN+, the private sector, religious groups, health care groups, and the government.

The official AIDS infection rate in Trinidad is 2 percent, but many experts estimate it maybe much higher as much of the population remains untested, and AIDS myths and stigmas abound. The Caribbean has the highest HIV/AIDS infection rate after sub-Saharan Africa in the world.