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Frank E. Loy Under Secretary for Global Affairs U.S. Department of State Introductory Remarks for Roundtable on HIV/AIDS with Guest Speaker Dr. Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director Washington, DC, May 26, 1999

Good afternoon and welcome to the State Department. I invited you here today to discuss a most urgent problem that transcends national boundaries and that requires hard work and collaboration among most, if not all, countries.

We have a formidable challenge, or enemy if you will, before us: the HIV pandemic.

Many of us have been personally or professionally affected by it. We are acutely aware not only of the suffering experienced by people infected with HIV, but also of the hardship and loss incurred by families, friends, and communities. The horror of this situation is magnified when we recognize the extent and severity of this epidemic worldwide.

In addition to our moral obligations and humanitarian objectives, a commitment on the part of developed and developing nations to address HIV globally is, or should be, our collective goal.

The pandemic is the silent enemy of economic growth, national well-being, and stability around the globe.

Our hopes for new markets, foreign investment, stable democracies, and universal human rights are threatened by the continuing spread of HIV.

No member of the global community can afford, either in terms of human suffering or economic development, to ignore the impending devastation that has already begun to ravage national economies, security and social infrastructures, and has strained to the limits many countries' health care systems.

On World AIDS Day 1998, Secretary Albright announced her initiative to enhance the political commitments of key governments actively to combat and prevent HIV. Obviously, this includes the United States. Her initiative is intended to broaden the scope of the HIV discussion and to highlight the labor, economic, security and larger foreign policy implications of the pandemic.

Our goal is to evoke better coordination and utilization of the substantial existing resources, from the U.S. Government and other nations and organizations, to expand international efforts to combat HIV.

This is why I have asked Dr. Peter Piot to speak to us today. It is with great pleasure that I now introduce him.

Dr. Piot is the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS and an Assistant Secretary-General for the United Nations. He is a physician with a doctorate in microbiology. He has been instrumental in the creation of a wealth of scientific data for use in sound AIDS prevention and care policy in developing countries, always linking his efforts with humanitarian concerns for affected populations.

Dr. Piot is the kind of man who would, as he did in 1976, fly at a moment's notice to Zaire, wearing his wedding suit (at the time his only suit) to engage in the work that would eventually lead to his co-discovery of the Ebola virus. He has received many awards for his scientific achievements and public service. He has published over 500 articles and 14 books, mostly on issues related to AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and reproductive health. In 1995, Dr. Piot was made a baron, one of Belgium's highest honors. This necessitated his creating a coat of arms. Its theme is the disease that has become his life's work. In addition to the red ribbon that is the symbol for the fight against AIDS, birds -- representing freedom -- surround hands clasped for solidarity.

Consistent with this year's World AIDS Day theme of "Listen, Learn, Live", I invite you now to listen and learn from Dr. Piot's experience and leadership.

Following his presentation, I would like to open up the roundtable to an informal discussion of how we can move forward collectively and fortify one another's efforts to end this pandemic.

Thank you. Peter, welcome.

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