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Melinda Kimble, Acting Assistant Secretary |
As Prepared for Delivery
Political Will in the Response to the AIDS Pandemic Introduction
Dire predictions from the 1980s have become the reality of the 1990s, as HIV moves from the latent state to active disease in an increasing number of people around the world. The cumulative number of those infected has more than nearly tripled from the 10 million infections estimated in 1990. UNAIDS and the World Health Organization estimate that 16,000 new infections are acquired every day and that over 30 million people are infected with HIV.
AIDS is a global problem touching virtually every country and every family around the world. It does not recognize international borders. Growing global population, massive demographic shifts, poverty, greater population mobility and other imbalances between people and nature contribute to the upsurge of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.
The disease can have a far-reaching impact. Trade and travel, important sectors of most economies, can be negatively affected, as can the ability of a nation to muster troops to keep peacekeeping commitments. The disease can also afflict citizens who are otherwise productive contributors to national economies.
The immense impact of HIV/AIDS on life expectancy and health, the implications on labor and productivity, the possibility that AIDS will exacerbate problems of poverty and inequality, and its potential implications for economic stability and security makes HIV/AIDS an important foreign policy issue. This broad reach also underscores the need for governments to confront the epidemic early. Critical to turning the tide is governmental acknowledgment and political commitment for national and international action.
Diplomatic Initiatives to Promote More Active Involvement on HIV/AIDS Issues by
National Governments
We know that more must and can be done by the global community and by the Department of State to reduce the global spread of HIV/AIDS, and that political commitment at the highest level of national government makes the critical difference. Many governments remain slow to acknowledge and to respond with appropriate measures to prevent the economic and social devastation this disease portends if left unchecked. It takes strong leadership at the highest levels working with international institutions, other nations, and non-governmental sectors to join the fight by sharing needed specialized skills in support of global interests to combat the AIDS pandemic.
HIV/AIDS should be introduced to a greater extent in the U.S. diplomatic and policy dialogue in order to underscore the recognition of HIV/AIDS as an international problem with political, social, and economic impacts which go well beyond the boundaries of the traditional health sector.
The State Department and senior officials should play a central role in raising HIV/AIDS in international fora and we are strengthening our efforts to put the full weight of our diplomatic infrastructure behind enhanced political commitment for international action. The Department of State has the means to advance this issue with more than 250 diplomatic and consular posts around the world including five missions to the United Nations.
Posts through our mission planning process will be charged with active interventions to raise awareness with host government officials. Ambassadors and other foreign policy officials at posts are instructed to: urge foreign leaders to openly address the HIV/AIDS pandemic in their own countries and to address the adverse economic and social impacts of HIV/AIDS; urge other governments to increase spending or to reallocate funds to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and to strengthen AIDS research efforts; emphasize the importance of National AIDS Action Plans which involve all relevant governmental agencies, ministries, NGOs and the private sector; and encourage foreign leaders to support the Joint U.N. Programme on AIDS.
The State Department, through formalized briefings as part of our National Foreign Affairs Training Center curricula, and by country-specific regional briefing to senior officials, is working to heighten awareness of the foreign policy implications of HIV/AIDS to the foreign policy community through all available channels.
The State Department will convene an interagency working group to discuss mechanisms whereby the U.S. Government may work more closely with development banks to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in development activities.
The State Department will convene regular interagency meetings to discuss the international calendar and to develop common approaches on HIV/AIDS issues and other infectious disease issues.
Using the HIV/AIDS component of the Common Agenda with Japan as a model, the State Department and USAID will pursue agreements with other donors to work more closely on HIV/AIDS in priority countries. Recognition of the problem and political commitment to support prevention programs is vital to the success of AIDS prevention.
Previous and Ongoing Accomplishments
At the recent G-8 Summit in Birmingham, members pledged a shared international effort to reduce the global scourge of AIDS through vaccine development, preventive programs and appropriate therapy, and by continued support for UNAIDS. This follows from the U.S. Government's successful effort which has made HIV/AIDS part of the G-8 Agenda since 1996 in Lyon and a successful centerpiece for the Denver Summit in 1997.
In his March 1998 African state visit, the President emphasized continued support for AIDS interventions in Uganda and other countries of the region. One year earlier, in March 1997, the First Lady highlighted Uganda's successful effort to reduce transmission of HIV in a public appearance at the AIDS Information Center that has provided counseling and information to tens of thousands of Ugandans.
On World AIDS Day 1997, the Secretary of State Madeleine Albright issued an historic statement recognizing the severity of the disease and the enormity of the AIDS orphan issue. The statement also renewed the U.S. Government's commitment to prevent HIV infection, to increase research and to improve treatment for those affected by the pandemic.
Since 1986, USAID has committed more than $800 million to HIV/AIDS programs to establish effective partnerships with international organizations, donors, national governments, and non-governmental organizations to develop innovative approaches to HIV/AIDS prevention and to build community capacity to slow the spread of the epidemic. USAID continues to lead international efforts to address the HIV/AIDS through development assistance, research, and policy dialogue. USAID has established 540 HIV/AIDS projects in 42 countries.
U.S. International Strategy on HIV/AIDS
In July 1995, the State Department released the first U.S. International Strategy on HIV/AIDS. The strategy, a product of an interagency effort, contained a set of priorities for action in combating the worldwide spread of HIV/AIDS. We are now working with other agencies to develop a new, unified U.S. Government international strategy on HIV/AIDS.
We hope to focus our new effort on fulfilling the President's commitment to develop an HIV/AIDS vaccine; on addressing the foreign policy issues surrounding the availability and affordability of new HIV/AIDS treatments, and in addressing the problem of AIDS-orphaned children.
As the strategy develops, we will seek the input of the non-governmental AIDS organizations, as well as business and trade representatives. Upon completion of the new strategy, ambassadors and other embassy representatives will meet with host country counterparts to describe the strategy and encourage leaders to expand HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation programs.
Conclusion
HIV/AIDS presents a global problem that demands an international solution. We must work together to forge the international partnerships needed to meet the many challenges of this disease and to share knowledge gained in our effort to stem its spread.
The Department of State must continue to advance the issue internationally and encourage political commitment at the highest level of national government to act at home and around the globe. A unified front by the U.S. Government and international partners in seeking practical solutions and strengthened coordination is crucial in our battle against this common enemy.
[End of Document]
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