[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 230 (Wednesday, December 2, 2009)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 63269-63270]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-28940]



[[Page 63267]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Part IV





The President





-----------------------------------------------------------------------



Proclamation 8459--World AIDS Day, 2009
 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 230 / Wednesday, December 2, 2009 / 
Presidential Documents  

 ___________________________________________________________________

 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 63269]]

                Proclamation 8459 of November 25, 2009

                
World AIDS Day, 2009

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Our Nation joins the world in celebrating the 
                extraordinary advancements we have made in the battle 
                against HIV and AIDS, and remembering those we have 
                lost. Over the past three decades, brave men and women 
                have fought devastating discrimination, stigma, doubt, 
                and violence as they stood in the face of this deadly 
                disease. Many of them would not be here today, but for 
                the dedication of other persons living with HIV, their 
                loved ones and families, community advocates, and 
                members of the medical profession. On World AIDS Day, 
                we rededicate ourselves to developing a national AIDS 
                strategy that will establish the priorities necessary 
                to combat this devastating epidemic at home, and to 
                renewing our leadership role and commitments abroad.

                Though we have been witness to incredible progress, our 
                struggle against HIV/AIDS is far from over. With an 
                infection occurring every nine-and-a-half minutes in 
                America, there are more than one million individuals 
                estimated to be living with the disease in our country. 
                Of those currently infected, one in five does not know 
                they have the condition, and the majority of new 
                infections are spread by people who are unaware of 
                their own status. HIV/AIDS does not discriminate as it 
                infiltrates neighborhoods and communities. Americans of 
                any gender, age, ethnicity, income, or sexual 
                orientation can and are contracting the disease.

                Globally, there are over 33 million people living with 
                HIV. While millions have died from this disease, the 
                death rate is slowly declining due, in part, to our 
                Nation's global effort through the President's 
                Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program. 
                However, HIV remains a leading cause of death 
                worldwide. Women and children around the world are 
                particularly vulnerable due to gender inequalities, 
                gaps in access to services, and increases in sexual 
                violence. While the statistics are distressing, new 
                medications and scientific advancements give us reason 
                for hope.

                Tackling this disease will take an aggressive, 
                steadfast approach. My Administration is developing a 
                national HIV/AIDS strategy to bolster our response to 
                the domestic epidemic, and a global health initiative 
                that will build on PEPFAR's success. We will develop a 
                strategy to reduce HIV incidence, improve access to 
                care, and help eliminate HIV-related health 
                disparities. We have already ensured that visitors to 
                our shores living with HIV are not marginalized and 
                discriminated against because of their HIV status. We 
                have also secured the continuation of critical HIV/AIDS 
                care and treatment services. Today, we recommit 
                ourselves to building on the accomplishments of the 
                past decades that have dramatically changed the 
                domestic and global HIV/AIDS landscape.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim December 1, 2009, as 
                World AIDS Day. I urge the Governors of the States and 
                the territories subject to the jurisdiction of the 
                United States, and the American people to join in 
                appropriate activities to remember those who have lost 
                their

[[Page 63270]]

                lives to AIDS, and to provide support and comfort to 
                those living with this disease.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
                fourth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. E9-28940
Filed 12-1-09; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3195-W0-P