[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 232 (Friday, December 2, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 87399-87400]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-29192]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 81 , No. 232 / Friday, December 2, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 87399]]


                Proclamation 9548 of November 30, 2016

                
World AIDS Day, 2016

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Thirty-five years ago the first documented cases of 
                AIDS brought about an era of uncertainty, fear, and 
                discrimination. HIV/AIDS has taken tens of millions of 
                lives--and far too many people with HIV have struggled 
                to get the care, treatment, and compassion they 
                deserve. But in the decades since those first cases, 
                with ingenuity, leadership, research, and historic 
                investments in evidence-based practices, we have begun 
                to move toward an era of resilience and hope--and we 
                are closer than ever to reaching an AIDS-free 
                generation. On World AIDS Day, we join with the 
                international community to remember those we have lost 
                too soon, reflect on the tremendous progress we have 
                made in battling this disease, and carry forward our 
                fight against HIV/AIDS.

                By shining a light on this issue and educating more 
                communities about the importance of testing and 
                treatment, we have saved and improved lives. Although 
                we have come far in recent decades, our work is not yet 
                done and the urgency to intervene in this epidemic is 
                critical. In the United States, more than 1.2 million 
                people are living with HIV. Gay and bisexual men, 
                transgender people, youth, black and Latino Americans, 
                people living in the Southern United States, and people 
                who inject drugs are at a disproportionate risk. People 
                living with HIV can face stigma and discrimination, 
                creating barriers to prevention and treatment services.

                My Administration has made significant efforts to fight 
                HIV/AIDS, including by encouraging treatment as 
                prevention, expanding access to pre-exposure 
                prophylaxis, eliminating waiting lists for medication 
                assistance programs, and working toward a vaccine. 
                Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, no one can be denied 
                coverage for pre-existing conditions like HIV, and 
                millions of people can now access quality, affordable 
                health insurance plans that cover important services 
                like HIV testing and screening. In 2010, I introduced 
                the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy in 
                the United States, and last year, through an Executive 
                Order, I updated it to serve as a guiding path to 2020. 
                This update builds on the primary goals of the original 
                Strategy, including reducing the number of HIV-infected 
                individuals and HIV-related health disparities, 
                improving health outcomes for anyone living with HIV 
                and increasing their access to care, and strengthening 
                our coordinated national response to this epidemic.

                Currently, more than 36 million people, including 1.8 
                million children, are living with HIV/AIDS across the 
                globe, and the majority of people living with HIV 
                reside in low- to middle-income countries. We need to 
                do more to reach those who are at risk for contracting 
                HIV/AIDS, and the United States is helping shape the 
                world's response to this crisis and working alongside 
                the international community to end this epidemic by 
                2030. We have strengthened and expanded the President's 
                Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), with now more 
                than $70 billion invested, to accelerate our progress 
                and work to control this epidemic with comprehensive 
                and data-focused efforts. With PEPFAR support for more 
                than 11 million people on life-saving treatment and 
                through contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, 
                Tuberculosis, and Malaria--including a new pledge

[[Page 87400]]

                of more than $4 billion through 2019--there are now 
                more than 18 million people getting HIV treatment and 
                care. Because in sub-Saharan Africa young women and 
                adolescent girls are over eight times more likely to 
                get HIV/AIDS than young men, we launched a 
                comprehensive prevention program to reduce HIV 
                infections among this population in 10 sub-Saharan 
                African countries. This summer, PEPFAR established an 
                innovative investment fund to expand access to quality 
                HIV/AIDS services for key populations affected by the 
                epidemic and reduce the stigma and discrimination that 
                persists. We have also helped prevent millions of new 
                infections worldwide, including in more than 1.5 
                million babies of HIV-positive mothers who were born 
                free of HIV. By translating groundbreaking research and 
                scientific tools into action, for the first time we are 
                seeing early but promising signs of controlling the 
                spread of HIV.

                Accelerating the progress we have made will require 
                sustained commitment and passion from every sector of 
                society and across every level of government around the 
                world. A future where no individual has to suffer from 
                HIV/AIDS is within our reach, and today, we recommit to 
                ensuring the next generation has the tools they need to 
                continue fighting this disease. Let us strive to 
                support all people living with HIV/AIDS and rededicate 
                ourselves to ending this epidemic once and for all. 
                Together, we can achieve what once seemed impossible 
                and give more people the chance at a longer, brighter, 
                AIDS-free future.

                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, 2016, 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 sixteen, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and forty-first.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2016-29192
Filed 12-1-16; 12:30 pm]
Billing code 3295-F7-P