[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 231 (Thursday, December 2, 1999)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 67691-67692]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-31466]



[[Page 67689]]

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Part IV





The President





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Proclamation 7256--World AIDS Day, 1999
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  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 231 / Thursday, December 2, 1999 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 67691]]

                Proclamation 7256 of November 29, 1999

                
World AIDS Day, 1999

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                As this year draws to a close, the world looks with 
                hope to a new century and a new millennium. But in that 
                new century, we will still face a familiar and deadly 
                enemy: HIV and AIDS. Already, more than 33 million 
                people around the world have been infected with HIV; by 
                the year 2005, that figure will likely soar to more 
                than 100 million.

                The theme of World AIDS Day this year is ``AIDS--End 
                the Silence. Listen, Learn, Live!'' This simple message 
                challenges us all to become better informed about this 
                global pandemic and to serve as strong and vocal 
                advocates for HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and care. 
                When we fail to tell our children the truth about how 
                HIV is transmitted, we put them at risk for infection. 
                When we are silent about the need for compassionate 
                care for the ill and dying, we allow too many of those 
                infected with AIDS to spend their final days unloved 
                and alone.

                Throughout my Presidency, I have strived to break the 
                silence surrounding HIV/AIDS, and my Administration has 
                worked hard to eradicate this devastating global 
                threat. We can take heart that many people with HIV/
                AIDS today are living longer and more fulfilling lives 
                and that new drugs are showing promising results in 
                halting the progression of the disease. However, AIDS 
                has exposed the tremendous gulf that exists between 
                those who share in the prosperity of our global economy 
                and those who do not. Of the millions of people around 
                the world coping with HIV and AIDS, most are living in 
                poverty, without access to new treatments or even the 
                basic care that could increase the quality and length 
                of their lives.

                Nowhere is the impact of this disease more devastating 
                than in Africa, where 13 million men, women, and 
                children have already died of AIDS, and 11,000 more are 
                becoming infected each day. In response to this health 
                catastrophe, this year my Administration sought and 
                attained the largest-ever U.S. budget commitment to the 
                global fight against AIDS. This increase of $100 
                million will more than double our support for AIDS 
                awareness and prevention, home and community-based 
                care, care of children orphaned by AIDS, and 
                development of the infrastructure necessary to support 
                these efforts. I invite other G-8 nations to join us, 
                and I urge other foreign governments, corporate 
                leaders, nongovernmental organizations, faith 
                communities, foundations, AIDS organizations, and 
                citizens around the globe to make their own 
                contributions to the crusade against HIV/AIDS.

                To fight HIV/AIDS on the home front, this year's budget 
                includes a $73 million increase in funding for HIV 
                prevention activities; an increase of $183 million in 
                the Ryan White CARE Act, which helps provide primary 
                care and support for those living with HIV/AIDS; an 
                additional $80 million in funding to the Minority AIDS 
                Initiative, which uses existing programs to reach 
                African Americans, Latinos, and other racial and ethnic 
                minorities disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS; and 
                an estimated $300 million in additional funds for AIDS-
                related research at the National Institutes of Health. 
                I have given high priority to the development of a 
                vaccine for AIDS, and our scientists and researchers 
                remain committed to developing a vaccine that works for 
                all who need it.

[[Page 67692]]

                Until they achieve that goal, we must work together to 
                break the silence and increase dialogue; to fight the 
                stigmatization and protect the rights of those living 
                with HIV and AIDS; and to help those infected find the 
                care and treatment they need. As we usher in a new 
                century, we must pledge to stay the course in our 
                crusade until the world is finally freed from the 
                shadow of this devastating epidemic.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim December 1, 1999, as World 
                AIDS Day. I invite the Governors of the States and the 
                Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, officials of the other 
                territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United 
                States, and the American people to join me in 
                reaffirming our commitment to defeating HIV and AIDS. I 
                encourage every American to participate in appropriate 
                commemorative programs and ceremonies in workplaces, 
                houses of worship, and other community centers, to 
                reach out to protect and educate our children, and to 
                help and comfort all people who are living with HIV and 
                AIDS.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twenty-fourth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 99-31466
Filed 12-1-99; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P