[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 113 (Thursday, July 26, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S5494]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 532--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE XIX INTERNATIONAL 
 AIDS CONFERENCE AND THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT CONTINUED COMMITMENT 
 BY THE UNITED STATES TO HIV/AIDS RESEARCH, PREVENTION, AND TREATMENT 
            PROGRAMS IS CRUCIAL TO PROTECTING GLOBAL HEALTH

  Mr. NELSON of Florida (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Leahy, 
Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Cardin, Ms. 
Mikulski, Ms. Landrieu, and Mr. Kohl) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 532

       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 (originally enacted as part of the Ryan White 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, D.C., 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, D.C.;
       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
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (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.

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