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Dear Colleagues,
I am very happy to be able to join you all today in
marking this year's World AIDS Day.
Let me first thank Tomris, Winnie and all the
others in the HIV/AIDS department who have turned this day into such a
meaningful and positive event here at WHO.
We mark a lot of days at WHO, but World AIDS Day
has a special position in our calendar. It is an excellent opportunity
to focus the world's attention on the epidemic. But it is also an
opportunity to reflect its stark reality. I am particularly glad that
we have with us representatives from two NGOs who will tell us about
the life on the frontline of the epidemic. The slogan for this year's
World AIDS Day is "I care - do you?" and its theme is the
role of men in the epidemic. Young or adult, they are key actors in
the fight to stem the spread of the virus.
HIV/AIDS, more than many other illnesses,
profoundly affects people’s lives. It induces fear, provokes denial,
and, increasingly, leads to extraordinary action. The key to results
is to spread knowledge and to fight stigma and condemnation. People’s
knowledge and their ability to act to protect themselves and others is
crucial in the battle to turn round the epidemic.
World AIDS Day is also a time to mourn the 20
million people who have died, and to redouble our efforts to bring
care and support to the forty million who are living with HIV - most
of whom have no support or care to help them through the many
difficult phases of this terrible disease.
We have reported, once again, an increase in the
number of people living with HIV. In particular, the number of
children living with HIV is far larger than we had realized. This is
very bad news.
But there is good news too. And this day is more
than anything an occasion to spread this good news far and wide. The
world is now ready to turn back the epidemic, learning from those who
have blazed a trail, scaling up best practice and confronting AIDS
systematically. It will be a long fight, but it is a fight we can win.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic has been spreading widely and
deeply. It has taken time to understand it fully and be aware of its
consequences. It has taken time to develop the necessary unity of
purpose in the response. Also, we have not had access to all the tools
needed to tackle it, at an affordable price. Nor have we had the money
to do what is needed.
Over the past year I believe we have seen the start
of a real change.
Prime ministers, finance ministers, planning
ministers and health ministers are focusing on the devastating effects
of HIV and AIDS. Civil society, and in particular people living with
HIV have greatly contributed to improved knowledge and to the moral
imperative for action. Taboos are starting to erode. Governments are
confronting the epidemic with a new openness. New information provides
solid scientific evidence for the benefits of investing in poor
people's health - including efforts to stem the spread of the HIV/AIDS
epidemic.
There is intense and widespread political
commitment to act. Over the past year, world leaders have resolved
to act within their own nations and together.
Low cost AIDS medicines are becoming available.
Essential health services for people at risk of HIV
systems are being designed. Health care regimes for people at risk
of HIV, within resource-poor settings, are being studied and
characterised. This includes wider access to reliable diagnosis,
health systems that can offer effective care. Appropriate treatment
regimes are being devised and tested. Health staff are being trained
in the management of care for people at risk of HIV infection and
AIDS.
New funds are starting to become available. The
Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria already has
commitments of $1.5 billion before it has been fully designed. I am
confident that it will become active on time, at the beginning of next
year. It is a groundbreaking mechanism, designed to achieve full
synergy between the public and private sector and non-governmental
organizations. I anticipate that the level of resources moving through
the fund to the affected countries will increase substantially - as it
begins its disbursements and showing results.
The coming year can be a turning point in the fight
against this global epidemic. We have the means and the political will
to achieve results. We have seen that communities and countries can
turn the tide on AIDS. Our challenge is to take such successes to a
global scale. Together, we can win this vital battle for the future of
humanity.
I wish to thank all who have prepared today's
programme and all who have come to be part of it.
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