[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 119 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 119
Combating the Global AIDS pandemic.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 29, 2001
Mr. Bayh (for himself, Mr. Smith of Oregon, Mr. Daschle, Mr. Leahy, Mr.
Bingaman, Mr. Lugar, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Kerry, Mr.
Kennedy, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Wellstone, Mr. DeWine, Mr.
Biden, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Levin, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Specter, Mr.
Torricelli, Mr. Graham, and Ms. Snowe) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Combating the Global AIDS pandemic.
Whereas the international AIDS pandemic is of grave proportions and is growing;
Whereas the epicenter of the AIDS pandemic is sub-Saharan Africa, and incidences
of contraction of HIV, AIDS, and related diseases are growing in the
Caribbean basin, Russia, China, Southeast Asia, and India at alarming
rates;
Whereas AIDS pandemic-related statistics are especially staggering in sub-
Saharan Africa--
(1) the infection rate is 8 times higher than the rest of the world;
(2) in the region, over 17,000,000 people have already lost their
lives to AIDS or AIDS-related illnesses, with another 24,000,000 living
with AIDS, according to the World Health Organization and Joint United
Nations Program on HIV/AIDS;
(3) in many countries in the region, life expectancy will drop by 50
percent over the next decade;
(4) more than 12,000,000 African children have lost 1 or both
parents to AIDS or AIDS-related illnesses, and that number will grow to
more than 35,000,000 by 2010;
(5) if current trends continue, 50 percent or more of all 15-year
olds in the worst affected countries, such as Zambia, South Africa, and
Botswana, will die of AIDS or AIDS-related illnesses; and
(6) one-quarter of the sub-Saharan African population could die of
AIDS or AIDS-related illnesses by 2020, according to the Central
Intelligence Agency;
Whereas confronting the AIDS pandemic is a moral imperative of the United States
and other leading nations of the world;
Whereas confronting the AIDS pandemic is in the national interest of the United
States, given that 42 percent of United States exports go to the
developing world, where the incidence of AIDS is growing most rapidly;
Whereas in today's globalized environment, goods, services, people--and
disease--are moving at the fastest pace in world history;
Whereas we cannot insulate our citizenry from the global AIDS pandemic and
related opportunistic disease, and we must provide leadership if we are
to reverse global infection rates;
Whereas the AIDS pandemic is perhaps the most serious and challenging
transnational issue facing the world in the post-Cold War era;
Whereas the AIDS pandemic is decimating local skilled workforces, straining
fragile governments, diverting national resources, and undermining
states' ability to provide for their national defense or international
peacekeeping forces;
Whereas United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, asserts that between
$7,000,000,000 and $10,000,000,000 is needed annually to address the
AIDS pandemic, yet current international assistance efforts total
roughly a little more than $1,000,000,000 per annum;
Whereas the United States has joined the call from the United Nations Secretary
General, Kofi Annan, and others in support of a global fund to assist
national governments, international organizations, and nongovernmental
organizations in the prevention, care, and treatment of AIDS and AIDS-
related illnesses; and
Whereas the United Nations Special Session on AIDS, taking place in June 2001,
and the Group of Eight Industrialized Nations meeting in July 2001, are
key opportunities for more states, governments, international
organizations, the private sector, and civil society to donate
assistance to the global fund: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes the tragedy of the AIDS pandemic in human
terms, as well as its devastating impact on national economies,
infrastructures, political systems, and all sectors of society;
(2) strongly supports the formation of a Global AIDS and
Health Fund;
(3) calls for the United States to remain open to providing
greater sums of money to the global fund as other donors join
in supporting this endeavor;
(4) calls on other nations, international organizations,
foundations, the private sector, and civil society to join in
providing assistance to the global fund;
(5) urges all national leaders in every part of the world
to speak candidly to their people about how to avoid
contracting or transmitting the HIV virus;
(6) calls for the United States to continue to invest
heavily in AIDS treatment, prevention, and research;
(7) urges international assistance programs to continue to
emphasize science-based best practices and prevention in the
context of a comprehensive program of care and treatment;
(8) encourages international health care infrastructures to
better prepare themselves for the successful provision of AIDS
care and treatment, including the administration of AIDS drugs;
(9) urges the Administration of President George W. Bush to
encourage participants at the United Nations General Assembly
Special Session on AIDS in June, and the Group of Eight
Industrialized Nations meeting in July, to contribute to the
global fund; and
(10) calls for United States representatives at the United
Nations General Assembly Special Session on AIDS and Group of
Eight Industrialized Nations meeting to emphasize the need to
maintain focus on science-based best practices and prevention
in the context of a comprehensive program of care and
treatment, combating mother-to-child transmission of the HIV
virus, defeating opportunistic infections, and improving
infrastructure and basic care services where treatment
medicines are available, and seek additional resources to
support the millions of AIDS orphans worldwide.
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