Whereas, according to UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations
Programme on HIV/AIDS, there are approximately 33,400,000 people living with
HIV worldwide, and nearly 30,000,000 people have died of AIDS since the first
cases were reported in 1981;
Whereas, in the United States, more than 1,000,000 people
are living with HIV and approximately 50,000 people become newly infected with
the virus each year;
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 1 in 5 individuals living with HIV is unaware of the infection,
underscoring the need for greater education about HIV/AIDS and access to
testing;
Whereas societal stigma remains a significant challenge to
addressing HIV/AIDS;
Whereas the United States is heavily engaged in both
international and domestic efforts to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic,
including—
(1)the United States
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (commonly known as
PEPFAR
);
(2)the Global Fund
to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria;
(3)title XXIV of the
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300dd et seq.) (originally enacted as part
of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act of 1990 (Public
Law 101–381; 104 Stat. 576));
(4)State AIDS Drug
Assistance Programs;
(5)the Housing
Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program of the Department of Housing and
Urban Development; and
(6)AIDS research at
the National Institutes of Health and other agencies;
Whereas, since 1985, the now biennial International AIDS
Conference has brought together leading scientists, public health experts,
policymakers, community leaders, and individuals living with HIV/AIDS from
around the world to enhance the global response to HIV/AIDS, evaluate recent
scientific developments, share knowledge, and facilitate a collective strategy
to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic;
Whereas, in 2008, Congress passed and the President signed
into law the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership
Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 (Public
Law 110–293; 122 Stat. 2918);
Whereas taxpayers in the United States have paid more than
$45,000,000,000 through PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis,
and Malaria, which have enjoyed broad bipartisan support in Congress;
Whereas, 25 years after the III International AIDS
Conference was held in Washington, DC, the XIX International AIDS Conference
(referred to in this preamble as AIDS 2012
) will take place from
July 22, 2012, through July 27, 2012, at the Walter E. Washington Convention
Center, in Washington, DC;
Whereas AIDS 2012, organized by the International AIDS
Society, is expected to convene more than 20,000 delegates, including 2,000
journalists, from nearly 200 countries;
Whereas the theme of AIDS 2012, Turning the Tide
Together
, embodies the promise and urgency of utilizing recent
scientific advances in HIV/AIDS treatment and biomedical prevention, continuing
research for an HIV vaccine and cure, and increasing effective, evidence-based
interventions in key settings to change the course of the HIV/AIDS
crisis;
Whereas AIDS 2012 seeks to engage governments,
nongovernmental organizations, policymakers, the scientific community, the
private sector, civil society, faith-based organizations, the media, and people
living with HIV/AIDS to more effectively address regional, national, and local
responses to HIV/AIDS around the world and overcome barriers that limit access
to preventative care, treatment, and other services; and
Whereas AIDS 2012 is a tremendous opportunity to
strengthen the role of the United States in global HIV/AIDS initiatives within
the context of significant global economic challenges, reenergize the response
to the domestic epidemic, and focus particular attention on the devastating
impact of HIV/AIDS that continues in the United States: Now, therefore, be
it
That the House of
Representatives—
(1)supports the XIX
International AIDS Conference and the goal of renewing awareness of, and
commitment to, addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States and
abroad;
(2)recognizes that
continued HIV/AIDS research, prevention, and treatment programs are crucial to
improving global health;
(3)understands that
the key to overcoming HIV/AIDS includes efforts to formulate sound public
health policy, protect human rights, address the needs of women and girls,
direct effective programming toward the populations at the highest risk of
infection, ensure accountability, and combat stigma, poverty, and other social
challenges related to HIV/AIDS;
(4)seeks to work with
all stakeholders—
(A)to prevent the
transmission of HIV;
(B)to increase access
to testing, treatment, and care;
(C)to improve health
outcomes for all people living with HIV/AIDS; and
(D)to foster greater
scientific and programmatic collaborations around the world to translate
scientific advances and apply best practices to international efforts to end
HIV/AIDS;
(5)commits to
supporting a stronger global response to HIV/AIDS, protecting the rights of
people living with HIV/AIDS, and working to create an AIDS-free
generation
; and
(6)encourages the
ongoing development in the public and private sectors of innovative therapies
and advances in clinical treatment for HIV/AIDS, including—
(A)new and improved
biomedical and behavioral prevention strategies;
(B)safer and more
affordable, accessible, and effective treatment regimens for infected
individuals; and
(C)research for an
HIV vaccine and cure.