[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 232 (Thursday, December 3, 2015)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 75783-75784]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-30741]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 232 / Thursday, December 3, 2015 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 75783]]


                Proclamation 9374 of November 30, 2015

                
World AIDS Day, 2015

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                More than three decades ago, the first known cases of 
                HIV/AIDS sparked an epidemic in the United States--
                ushering in a time defined by how little we knew about 
                it and in which those affected by it faced fear and 
                stigmatization. We have made extraordinary progress in 
                the fight against HIV since that time, but much work 
                remains to be done. On World AIDS Day, we remember 
                those who we have lost to HIV/AIDS, celebrate the 
                triumphs earned through the efforts of scores of 
                advocates and providers, pledge our support for those 
                at risk for or living with HIV, and rededicate our 
                talents and efforts to achieving our goal of an AIDS-
                free generation.

                Today, more people are receiving life-saving treatment 
                for HIV than ever before, and millions of HIV 
                infections have been prevented. Still, more than 36 
                million people around the world live with HIV--
                including nearly 3 million children. My Administration 
                is committed to ending the spread of HIV and improving 
                the lives of all who live with it. In the United 
                States, the Affordable Care Act has allowed more people 
                to access coverage for preventive services like HIV 
                testing, and new health plans are now required to offer 
                HIV screening with no cost sharing. Insurance companies 
                can no longer discriminate against individuals living 
                with HIV/AIDS or any other pre-existing condition. 
                Additionally, this year marks the 25th anniversary of 
                the Ryan White CARE Act, which established the Ryan 
                White Program--a program that helps provide needed care 
                to the most vulnerable individuals and touches over 
                half of all people living with HIV in America.

                To further our fight to end the HIV epidemic, my 
                Administration released our country's first 
                comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy in 2010. The 
                Strategy provided a clear framework for changing the 
                way we talk about HIV, and it offered a critical 
                roadmap that prioritizes our Nation's response to this 
                epidemic and organizes the ways we deliver HIV 
                services. Earlier this year, I signed an Executive 
                Order to update the Strategy through 2020, focusing on 
                expanding HIV testing and care, widening support for 
                those living with HIV to stay in comprehensive care, 
                promoting universal viral suppression among individuals 
                infected with HIV, and increasing access to preventive 
                measures, including pre-exposure prophylaxis for people 
                at substantial risk of acquiring HIV.

                Additionally, the primary aims of the Strategy include 
                reducing HIV-related disparities and health inequities, 
                because HIV still affects specific populations 
                disproportionately across our country. Certain 
                individuals--including gay and bisexual men, Black 
                women and men, Latinos and Latinas, people who inject 
                drugs, transgender women, young people, and people in 
                the Southern United States--are at greater risk for 
                HIV, and we must target our efforts to reduce HIV-
                related health disparities and focus increased 
                attention on highly vulnerable populations. My most 
                recent Federal budget proposal includes more than $31 
                billion in funding for HIV/AIDS treatment, care, 
                prevention, and research. We are also making great 
                progress toward achieving a greater viral suppression 
                rate among those diagnosed with HIV, and in the last 5 
                years, we have made critical funding increases to 
                ensure more Americans have access to life-saving 
                treatment.

[[Page 75784]]

                We cannot achieve an AIDS-free generation without 
                addressing the pervasive presence of HIV throughout the 
                world, which is why our Nation is committed to 
                achieving the goals laid out in the 2030 Agenda for 
                Sustainable Development to reach more people living 
                with HIV, promote global health, and end the AIDS 
                epidemic. The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS 
                Relief (PEPFAR) has helped save lives across the globe 
                and has made significant impacts on the number of new 
                HIV infections by strengthening international 
                partnerships and expanding essential services for 
                preventing and treating HIV. This year, I announced new 
                targets for PEPFAR that aim to provide almost 13 
                million people with life-saving treatment by the end of 
                2017. The United States is also committing resources to 
                support PEPFAR's work to achieve a 40 percent decrease 
                in HIV incidence among young women and girls in the 
                most vulnerable areas of sub-Saharan Africa. This is a 
                shared responsibility, and America will remain a leader 
                in the effort to end HIV/AIDS while continuing to work 
                with the international community to address this 
                challenge and secure a healthier future for all people.

                Working with private industry, faith communities, 
                philanthropic organizations, the scientific and medical 
                communities, networks of people living with HIV and 
                affected populations, and governments worldwide, we can 
                accomplish our goals of reducing new HIV infections, 
                increasing access to care, improving health outcomes 
                for patients, reducing HIV-related disparities, and 
                building a cohesive, coordinated response to HIV. On 
                this day, let us pay tribute to those whom HIV/AIDS 
                took from us too soon, and let us recognize those who 
                continue to fight for a world free from AIDS. Let us 
                also recognize researchers, providers, and advocates, 
                who work each day on behalf of people living with HIV, 
                and in honor of the precious lives we have lost to HIV. 
                Together, we can forge a future in which no person--
                here in America or anywhere in our world--knows the 
                pain or stigma caused by HIV/AIDS.

                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, 2015, as 
                World AIDS Day. I urge 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 
                appropriate activities to remember those who have lost 
                their lives to AIDS and to provide support and 
                compassion to those living with HIV.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2015-30741
Filed 12-2-15; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F6-P