[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 4, 2002)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 72089-72090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-30867]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 67, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 4, 2002 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 72089]]

                Proclamation 7631 of November 27, 2002

                
World AIDS Day, 2002

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                The HIV/AIDS pandemic has taken the lives of more than 
                20 million people and is projected to take millions 
                more. On World AIDS Day, countries around the world are 
                united to support the individuals, families, and 
                communities affected by this disease, and to renew our 
                commitment to preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, 
                developing and delivering more effective treatments, 
                and finding a cure.

                To support our struggle against HIV/AIDS, we must call 
                upon the compassion, energy, and generosity of all 
                people. Through their service and dedication, faith-
                based and volunteer organizations are providing local 
                and global communities with strategies to confront the 
                HIV/AIDS pandemic. By responding to the needs of their 
                neighbors, these organizations and individual citizens 
                offer invaluable support and hope to countless people. 
                These organizations also help overcome dangerous 
                barriers to HIV prevention, care, and treatment such as 
                the stigma and discrimination that often attaches to 
                those suffering from HIV/AIDS. By raising awareness and 
                promoting acceptance of people living with HIV/AIDS, we 
                help improve the lives of millions of people around the 
                world and demonstrate the compassion of our Nation.

                My Administration remains strongly committed to 
                supporting research that treats those living with HIV/
                AIDS, prevents the spread of this disease, and that can 
                develop a cure. For this coming year, my Administration 
                has requested $2.9 billion for research on vaccines and 
                treatments to combat the disease. This is a significant 
                increase over prior year funding for these efforts, and 
                expresses my Administration's commitment to helping 
                find a cure.

                To help stop the global spread of AIDS we must prevent 
                mothers from passing the HIV virus to their children. 
                My Administration has committed $500 million to the new 
                International Mother and Child HIV Prevention 
                Initiative, which will focus on countries in Africa and 
                the Caribbean where the problem is the most severe. 
                This Initiative seeks to treat 1 million women annually 
                and to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS 
                by 40 percent within 5 years. It also increases the 
                availability of preventative care and drug treatment 
                therapy, and seeks to improve critical healthcare 
                delivery systems. The International Mother and Child 
                Prevention Initiative will save thousands of lives, and 
                assist our vital effort to overcome the global 
                devastation of HIV/AIDS.

                The United States intends to provide more than $1.3 
                billion in 2003 to international efforts to combat HIV/
                AIDS, a 30 percent increase over the prior year's 
                commitment. I was very pleased to help launch the 
                Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and 
                Malaria together with U.N. Secretary-General Annan and 
                Nigerian President Obasanjo. My Administration has 
                since then pledged $500 million to the Global Fund, and 
                we are committed to further support the Fund as it 
                continues to demonstrate its success.

                On World AIDS Day, I urge world leaders and citizens to 
                join the efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. By working 
                together, we can provide hope and comfort to all those 
                affected by this devastating disease.

[[Page 72090]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, 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, 2002, as World 
                AIDS Day. I invite the Governors of the States and the 
                Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, officials of other 
                territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United 
                States, and the American people to join me in 
                reaffirming our commitment to combating HIV/AIDS. I 
                encourage all Americans to participate in appropriate 
                commemorative programs and ceremonies in houses of 
                worship, workplaces, and other community centers to 
                remember those who have lost their lives to this deadly 
                disease and to comfort and support those living with 
                and impacted by HIV/AIDS.

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

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 02-30867
Filed 12-03-02; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P