[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 23385-23386]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      COMMEMORATING WORLD AIDS DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. 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, this week we will commemorate, 
celebrate, embrace, and share love on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2001. 
Today I had the pleasure and honor of being with the African 
Ambassadors Group and the International AIDS Trust to commemorate that 
for the House and Senate.
  It is important that policy leaders stand up and be counted as we 
move forward to continue the fight against the devastation of HIV/AIDS 
worldwide.
  Let me thank Sandy Thurman and, as well, all of the African 
ambassadors, and Ambassador Sheila Suzuli of South Africa, who gave 
very eloquent comments and remarks about the waging of the war in sub-
Saharan Africa.
  Let me also acknowledge my friends with the Names Project in Houston. 
I will join them tomorrow in celebrating and commemorating the loss of 
lives, and as well, the lives of those who are still living with AIDS.
  As we do that tomorrow evening at the de Menil Museum, we do it 
together, embracing and noting the wonderment of the lives that are no 
longer with us but recommitting ourselves to fighting against the 
devastation of HIV/AIDS.

                              {time}  1700

  I say congratulations and my best wishes to the NAMES Project of 
Houston and all the other fighters in my community who are advocating 
against HIV/AIDS and working to provide prevention dollars and 
treatment dollars throughout the entire city, which includes of course 
the Donald Watkins Foundation.
  September 11 will live forever in our hearts and minds as one of the 
most tragic and horrific acts of terrorism on our country. We have all 
joined forces to fight back against this terrible evil. Foreign 
countries have also responded and lent their support to help combat 
terrorism. It has proven that by joining together, any challenge can be 
overcome.
  While we have focused our attention to addressing the immediate needs 
of the survivors and families who lost loved ones, increased security, 
and the economy, we must refocus our attention as well to the global 
pandemic that has claimed over 29 million lives. The same strategy we 
apply in our fight against this terrible, terrible dread of terrorism, 
we must continue the battle, however, in our fight to beat HIV/AIDS 
around the Nation. This is a global issue and everyone's problem, 
nationwide and worldwide.
  The Global Health Alliance released a report yesterday, entitled 
``Pay Now or Pay More Later: An Independent Report on the Response to 
the Global HIV/AIDS Pandemic.'' Today, the African Ambassadors Group 
and International AIDS Trust sponsored a briefing on refocusing and 
reaffirming our commitment to AIDS. As we approach World AIDS Day on 
December 1, we must stand strong and continue to fight and raise 
awareness.
  Forty million people around the world live with HIV/AIDS or will be 
living with it by the end of 2001, adults and children, 28 million of 
which live in sub-Saharan Africa alone.
  Since the first HIV case 20 years ago, over 60 million persons have 
been infected, and over 20 million have already died from AIDS. The 
spread continues, especially in poor and developing countries.
  In Africa, there are an estimated 11,000 new infections per day; and 
during 2001, 2.3 million Africans will die from HIV/AIDS. Only 10 
percent of the world's population lives south of the Sahara, but the 
region is home to two-thirds of the world's HIV/AIDS. We must not 
tolerate such devastation, and it has suffered more than 80 percent of 
all AIDS deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.

[[Page 23386]]

  I traveled to the South African region in 1999 and this year, and 
what I witnessed was unbelievable. First, I would like to commend the 
indomitable spirit of those who are fighting HIV/AIDS. The leadership, 
the government, the social agency, the NGOs, the people, they are all 
fighting unified together. It was a life-changing event to see and meet 
people infected by this deadly virus but also to meet those who were 
standing alongside of them, committed to defeat this deadly disease.
  What affected me most was witnessing the thousands of orphan children 
whose parents had died from AIDS. Currently there are approximately 14 
million children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, with a projection of 40 million 
children by 2010 if no action is taken. Every minute, an African child 
dies of AIDS. These orphans are more likely to be poor, deprived of 
education, abused or neglected.
  Who cares for them when their parents die? HIV/AIDS also decimates 
the family support system, and when I went on one of my earlier trips 
to Africa, I saw a 4-year old who was left to be the only healthy 
individual in a family taking care of dying adults, dying from HIV/
AIDS.
  A teacher who works near the Chinakas and the Kasongos described how 
15 of his 42 students have lost one or both of their parents. He sees 
thousands of children just sitting around, wanting to be left alone. He 
also noticed that some of these orphans come to school without shoes or 
without a sweater in the winter. Either their step-families put them 
last on the list, or their grandmothers could not scrape together 
enough money.
  It is important to note the impact of HIV/AIDS in the United States. 
Non-Hispanic blacks represent 33 percent of reported AIDS cases in our 
Nation, and throughout 1994 more than 80,000 of 146,285 African 
Americans reported to have AIDS have died.
  We must work together to fight AIDS worldwide around this country, 
because if we do not we will stand to lose the talent, the spirit of 
those who are infected. We must fight it around the world; otherwise we 
will lose as well. Cases in Hispanics, among women, African American 
and children, this is a challenge for us all.
  As we look toward World AIDS Day on December 1, let me simply say 
that we must look toward it with a commitment that we will stand 
alongside of those battling that disease, and we will not let the 
funding diminish nor will our spirit diminish nor will our fortitude 
diminish this fight, and we will win.
  Mr. Speaker, September 11 will live forever in our hearts and minds 
as one of the most tragic and horrific acts of terrorism on our 
country. We have all joined forces to fight back against the evil. 
Foreign countries have also responded and lent their support to help 
combat terrorism. It is proven that by joining together, any challenge 
can be overcome.
  While we have focused our attention to addressing the immediate needs 
of the survivors and families who lost loved ones, increased security, 
and the economy, we must refocus our attention to a global pandemic 
that has claimed over 29 million lives. The same strategy we apply in 
our fight against terrorism, we must also utilize in our fight to beat 
HIV/AIDS. This is a global issue and everyone's problem.
  Just yesterday, the Global Health Alliance released a report entitled 
``Pay Now or Pay More Later: An Independent Report on the Response to 
the Global HIV/AIDS Pandemic''. And today, the African Ambassadors 
Group and International AIDS Trust sponsored a briefing on Refocusing 
and Reaffirming our Commitment to AIDS''. As we approach World AIDS Day 
on December 1, we must stand strong and continue to fight and raise 
awareness.
  Forty million people around the world live with HIV/AIDS, twenty-
eight million of which live in the Sub-Saharan African region alone.
  Since the first HIV case 20 years ago, over 60 million persons have 
been infected, and over 20 million have already died from AIDS. The 
spread continues, especially in poorer countries.
  In Africa, there are an estimated 11,000 new infections per day, and 
during 2001 approximately 2.3 million Africans will die from HIV/AIDS.
  Only 10 percent of the world's population lives south of the Sahara, 
but the region is home to two-thirds of the world's HIV-positive 
people, and it has suffered more than 80 percent of all AIDS deaths.
  I traveled to the South African region in 1999 and this year and what 
I witnessed was unbelievable. It was a life-changing event to see and 
meet with the people infected by this deadly virus. But what affected 
me the most was witnessing the thousands of orphaned children whose 
parents died from AIDS. Currently, there are approximately 14 million 
children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, with a projection of 40 million children 
by 2010 if no action is taken. Every minute an African child dies of 
AIDS.
  These orphans are more likely to be poor, deprived of education, 
abused or neglected. Who cares for them when their parents die? HIV/
AIDS also decimates the family support system.
  A teacher who works near the Chinakas and the Kasongos described how 
15 of his 42 students have lost one or both of their parents. He sees 
thousands of children just sitting around wanting to be left alone. He 
also noticed that some of these orphans come to school without shoes or 
without a sweater in the winter. Either their stepfamilies put them 
last on the list or their grandmothers couldn't scrape together enough 
money.
  In the West, meanwhile, the HIV death rate has dropped steeply thanks 
to powerful drug cocktails that keep the disease from progressing. But 
that is not the case in African-American communities.
  Non-Hispanic blacks represent 33 percent of reported AIDS cases in 
our Nation. Through December 1994, more than 80,000 of the 146,285 
African-Americans reported to have AIDS have died.
  While AIDS related deaths have begun to decline, there has been a 
dramatically greater decline among whites, 21 percent than among 
African-Americans 2 percent and Hispanics, 10 percent.
  African-Americans and Hispanics have been disproportionately affected 
by the AIDS epidemic. Although 52 percent of reported AIDS cases 
occurred among African-Americans and Hispanics, these groups represent 
only 13 and 10 percent respectively of the total U.S. population.
  Among women and children with AIDS, African-Americans and Hispanics 
have been especially affected, representing approximately 75 percent of 
reported cases among women and 80 percent among children.
  In my District, reported AIDS cases in Blacks increased from 24 to 40 
percent within the last 5 years. While reported AIDS cases in Whites 
decreased from 64 to 44 percent. From 1990 to 1998, the percentage of 
Blacks in Houston/Harris County diagnosed with AIDS increased from 27 
to 53 percent.
  The key to fighting this virus must involve a comprehensive approach 
that includes prevention, education, and support of a health care 
infrastructure. HIV prevention efforts must take into account not only 
the multiracial and multicultural nature of our society, but also other 
social and economic factors, such as poverty, underemployment, and poor 
access to the health care system, that impact health status and 
disproportionately affect African and Hispanic populations.
  We, as Members of Congress, must continue to fight the struggle and 
persist in obtaining increased funding of the global AIDS response. 
This is one of the great challenges of our time and of this generation.

                          ____________________