I know you heard it this morning. I say it again. The tide is starting to turn. Never has political commitment been stronger. HIV and AIDS are concerns of all sectors, and all of society. The response must be broad, yet focused.

There are some early positive signs. But we have so much more to do. We know what to do, we know how to do it. The bottom line, for us all, is that we MUST succeed. We must enable people to avoid being infected with HIV and developing AIDS.

Heads of State, their Health and Finance Ministers, community organizations, people with HIV, donors, as well as the UNAIDS cosponsors, secretariat and other partners, are carrying a growing responsibility to ensure this success.

The possibility of a reduction in prices of drugs has opened up new opportunities, new initiatives and actions to stem the devastation caused by the epidemic. It has also spurred very useful discussions on several challenging and difficult issues we have to face if we are to make progress.

But the choices governments have to make have not become any easier. They still face an epidemic on a devastating scale which they have to fight with woefully limited resources. They will have to maintain resources for prevention when the pressure to focus on care will increase. And they will have to make difficult decisions which will influence who can receive care and who cannot.

This challenges us all to ensure that health systems enable people with HIV and AIDS to access the care that they need. This means equity of access, going beyond the elites. Responsive care for all – women and children too. Wider access to reliable diagnostics, fewer and better treated opportunistic infections. Less mother-to-child transmission. Prompt and effective care for sexually transmitted illness. We in WHO, working with other UNAIDS cosponsors, will help governments set and implement standards for this care.

The World Health Assembly last week, passed a Resolution that can be an important tool in our action to counter HIV/AIDS. It gives a clear mandate to implement the proven, evidence-based strategies and interventions that will have an impact on the epidemic.

The Resolution calls on Member States to match political commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS with resources that reflect the magnitude of the epidemic. It opens the way for significant advances in equitable access to drugs. Moreover, Member States are requested to strengthen public education on HIV/AIDS and to pay particular attention to national strategic plans directed at reducing the vulnerability of women, children and adolescents.

As we rightly grasp the opportunities for finally being able to provide improved care for more people living with HIV/AIDS, three words force their way to the forefront: prevention, prevention, prevention.

Prevention has long since been agreed as the key to limiting the epidemic from spreading. Nothing of what has happened over the past few weeks has changed that. Our primary goal must always be to prevent men, women and children from becoming infected with this incurable disease.

This is not a question of either/or. It is prevention and care – reinforcing and strengthening each other.

Mr Chairman,

There are more partners in the field than before. The stakes are higher. For us to progress, we must keep all partners on board. We must maintain mutual trust. We must address the genuine concerns of all.

We must avoid splits between a focus on prevention and an emphasis on care. All are involved, we must move forward together.

To do this, mechanisms matter. We are all working together to find inclusive means for dialogue, debate and negotiation. This is never easy, but I believe there now is more goodwill and commitment than ever.

Through the enhancing of care and strengthening its linkages to prevention, we are about to give new directions and a new energy to an expanded, revitalized response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. There is an increased spirit of global solidarity that will help us to take it forward.