[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14725]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



           UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL ADDRESSES HIV/AIDS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I had the honor of 
joining the Ambassador of the United States to the United Nations, 
along with the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) and the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney), in New York.
  We were invited to witness a historic debate at the U.N. Security 
Council on an issue of peacekeeping and security addressing the 
question of HIV/AIDS. For the first time, the world voice, the United 
Nations, took a unanimous stand to fight HIV/AIDS in the peacekeeping 
forces around the world.
  Although we applaud their bravery, we realize that the military 
personnel that travel from one developing nation to another without the 
proper education and training are in harm's way, not only in terms of 
war, but in terms of the devastation of disease. Based upon our work, 
we are delighted that this kind of effort was made on behalf of the 
United Nations.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the distinguished gentlewoman from California 
(Ms. Lee) who has been the moving force on fighting AIDS in this 
Congress.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Jackson-Lee) for her leadership and also for her efforts in helping the 
orphans and the children of Africa who are suffering now as a result of 
their parents dying of AIDS. I thank the gentlewoman for her 
leadership.
  We participated in a mission last year. During that time in Southern 
Africa, we realized that we had to come back and do something. We 
looked in the eyes of babies, and there was no way that we could let 
these children live like this without us at least trying to do 
something for them.
  This morning, I had the honor and the privilege to participate with 
the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) and the gentlewoman from 
New York (Mrs. Maloney) in actually witnessing the United Nation's 
Security Council's historic discussion and vote regarding the 
importance of HIV and AIDS education and prevention as it relates to 
peacekeeping forces.
  We all know that an ounce of prevention is really worth a pound of 
cure. We should be proud of the fact that our own ambassador, 
Ambassador Holbrooke, has and continues to take the lead in raising the 
moral concerns, the humanitarian concerns, and, yes, the security 
concerns of the AIDS pandemic. He has done remarkable work in little 
time to educate the world community; and that is, definitely, he has 
put forth and set forth a course to actually break the silence in the 
world with regard to this pandemic.
  We were waging war on this. I am proud of the Congress in terms of 
our bipartisan efforts to wage war on this deadly disease. I think 
today the resolution that was passed by the Security Council really 
takes us one step forward in waging the battle that we must wage on 
this.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, might I say that the 
leadership of the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) in the United 
States Congress, along with the amendment on debt relief offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) and the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Pelosi) last week brought us to where we needed to be 
by adding $42 million back into the Foreign Operations appropriations.
  I think it is important for the American people to understand that as 
the world is endangered by the devastation of the elimination of large 
populations by HIV/AIDS, we need to recognize here in America that we 
are fully impacted.
  I know for many it seems as if we are looking distant, far away, but 
AIDS can be compared to the times historically of the bubonic plague 
when large numbers of Europeans were devastated and eliminated with 
this disease.
  This disease is killing one in five in South Africa. Forty million 
children will be orphaned. I am very proud that the Ambassador to the 
United Nations joined in the causes with, first, the Vice President 
speaking before the United Nations, then our respective Senators, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), who has just returned from 
Durban, South Africa, to say that we really are in a war.
  As we fight for peace, peace is intertwined in fighting against this 
devastating disease. I would hope that we will continue this effort. I 
thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) for her leadership, 
and, of course, I applaud the United Nations for its effort.

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