[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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