    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [December 1, 2005]
    [Pages 1796-1800]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on World AIDS Day
    December 1, 2005

        Thanks for coming. Thank you all. How about my line of work, where
    you get introduced by your wife? [Laughter] And I'm glad I got
    introduced by Laura because she deeply cares
    about the issue of HIV/AIDS. She's a great First Lady with a
    compassionate heart. In her travels, she's carried a message of hope for
    the suffering and a message that the empowerment of women is essential
    to the prevention of AIDS. I thank you for your introduction. More
    importantly, I thank you for your love.
        I want to thank you all for coming and for joining the Government
    and, more importantly, the armies of compassion in the

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    challenge of fighting AIDS. I want to thank Secretary Rice for being here, Secretary of State. The Secretary
    of Defense is with us, Secretary Rumsfeld; Carlos Gutierrez,
    Secretary of Commerce; Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao; Mike Leavitt, who is the
    Secretary of Health and Human Services; USAID Director Andrew
    Natsios is with us.
        Ambassador Randy Tobias, who is the
    U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and has done a heck of a job. Thank you for
    being here. CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding; Tony Fauci is with us as
    well; Elias Zerhouni of the NIH--thank you
    all for being here. Thanks for being--making sure the scientific
    community stays on the leading edge of research to help save lives.
        I appreciate the Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez for joining us. I'm proud that two United States Senators
    have taken time out of their busy schedules to join us, Senator Dick
    Lugar and Senator Mike Enzi. Thank you all for being here. It means a lot.
        Finally, I want to thank the diplomatic corps for joining us. You're
    going to hear a strong message of support, and I know you'll relay this
    message back to your governments, along with a message that in order to
    deal with HIV/AIDS we must confront it honestly. We're glad you're here,
    your Excellencies. Thank you for joining us.
        Today, with people around the world, not just here in America but
    all around the world, 40 million--we turn our thoughts to the more than
    40 million men, women, and children who are living with HIV. That's what
    World AIDS Day is all about. And on World AIDS Day, we renew our
    commitment to turn the tide against this disease.
        HIV/AIDS is a global health crisis. It is also a daily burden for
    many of our families and neighbors and friends. Across Africa, this
    pandemic threatens the stability and the future of whole societies. In
    Asia, HIV/AIDS is a challenge that grows daily and must be confronted
    directly. Here in the United States, over a million of our citizens face
    this chronic condition. At the start of this century, AIDS causes
    suffering from remote villages of Africa to the heart of America's big
    cities. This danger is multiplied by indifference and complacency. This
    danger will be overcome by compassion, honesty, and decisive action.
        I believe America has a unique ability and a special calling to
    fight this disease. We are blessed with great scientific knowledge.
    We're a generous country that has always reached out to feed the hungry
    and rescue captives and care for the sick. We are guided by the
    conviction of our founding--that the Author of Life has endowed every
    life with matchless value.
        Here in America, some of our fellow citizens have now lived 15 years
    or more with HIV/AIDS. The Federal Government provides more than $17
    billion a year to help people in America living with HIV/AIDS, including
    funding that brings lifesaving drugs and treatment to hundreds of
    thousands of low-income Americans. With the help of medicine and their
    own daily courage, many people are managing a condition that was once
    uniformly fatal and proving that HIV/AIDS is a long-term illness like
    heart disease or diabetes.
        Yet America still sees an estimated 40,000 new infections each year.
    This is not inevitable, and it's not acceptable. HIV/AIDS remains a
    special concern in the gay community, which has effectively fought this
    disease for decades through education and prevention. And the
    demographics of this disease continue to change. AIDS is increasingly
    found among women and minorities. Nearly half of the new infections are
    found in the African-American community.
        We're determined to make voluntary HIV testing a routine part of
    health care in America, so people can know the truth about their status,
    tell others, and get the treatment they need. We're determined to end
    mother-to-child transmission of HIV in

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    America because medicine makes it possible and conscience demands it.
    We're determined to improve care for minorities and citizens in the
    greatest need, and so I urge the Congress to reauthorize the Ryan White
    Care Act.
        Our concern about HIV/AIDS does not stop at our borders. Other
    nations face greater challenges, yet they are moving forward with
    courage and determination that inspires our respect and deserves our
    support. Nations like Uganda and Kenya have demonstrated that leadership
    and honesty can overcome stigma and reduce rates of infection. Nations
    like Botswana and Namibia have shown that antiretroviral treatments can
    be widely delivered and highly successful. These countries and many
    others are fighting for the lives of their citizens, and America is now
    their strongest partner in that fight, and we're proud to be so.
        We're supporting our partners through the Global Fund, which is
    helping nations purchase medicines and treat tuberculosis, the deadly
    infection that often accompanies AIDS.
        We are also supporting our partners through the Emergency Plan for
    AIDS Relief, the largest initiative in history to combat a specific
    disease. This effort is designed to support and strengthen the AIDS-
    fighting strategies of many nations, including 15 heavily afflicted
    nations in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. In May 2003, we committed
    $15 billion over 5 years to meet specific goals: to support treatment
    for 2 million people, support prevention for 7 million people, support
    care for 10 million people.
        We're working with our partners to provide treatment because the
    lives of people already infected should never be written off, because
    the best way to help a child in need is to help their parents live, and
    because people who know they can be treated are more likely to seek
    testing. We're working with our partners to expand prevention efforts
    that emphasize abstinence, being faithful in marriage, and using condoms
    correctly. This strategy, pioneered by Africans, has proven its
    effectiveness, and America stands behind the ABC approach to prevention.
        And we're working with our partners to expand compassionate care,
    especially for the millions of children made orphans by this cruel
    disease.
        The United States Congress and the American people have been
    generous in this effort, and Americans can know that their generosity is
    making a significant difference. Before the Emergency Plan for AIDS
    Relief, only 50,000 people of the more than 4 million people in sub-
    Saharan Africa needing immediate AIDS treatment were getting medicine.
    Think about that--only 50,000 people. After 2 years of sustained effort,
    approximately 400,000 sub-Saharan Africans are receiving the treatment
    they need.
        Today I'm proud to welcome Thandazile Darby and her two children, Lewis and Emily--Lewis, by the way, is age 4; Emily, age 5--and their doctor, Dr. Helga Holst. They're from South Africa. Welcome to America.
        It's the effects of a long speech. [Laughter] Two years ago, she
    took Emily to the hospital for what she thought
    was the mumps. Later they found that Emily and the rest of the family
    were HIV-positive. Thandazile's late
    husband's relatives tried to support her treatment for as long as they
    could, but the cost was too high. Thanks to the Emergency Plan funds,
    the Darbys began to get the treatment they desperately needed. Soon
    these children will start school, and now their mom dreams that someday
    they will attend college. Here is what Thandazile says: ``The medicine
    used to be very expensive. I used to have to decide between taking our
    medicine and putting food in our bellies. It was difficult, because we
    needed to have food in our bellies so that we could take the pills. Now
    I can afford to buy food for

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    my family, and we can keep taking our medicine to stay healthy.''
        I want to thank you for joining us today, and I want to thank for
    your strong example of courage.
        This example is repeated across Africa and beyond. In northern
    Namibia, Emergency Plan funds helped a Lutheran hospital build a new HIV
    treatment center and hire 12 doctors and nurses and other staff. As a
    result, this clinic has been able to put 1,475 people on treatment in
    less than a year. In Botswana, Emergency Plan funds are supporting two
    clinics to launch a peer counseling program for mothers to provide
    emotional support and prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS.
    In Uganda, Emergency Plan funds helped Dr. Peter Mugyenyi expand from one site serving those with AIDS to 25
    sites in a single year. Today, there are 35 sites, many of them in
    remote rural areas, that provide treatment to 35,000 of his countrymen.
    I first met Peter more than 2 years ago. This man is an incredible
    leader. He's an incredibly compassionate soul. I want to thank you for
    being a lifesaver, and thank you for joining us.
        We're making good progress, and none of it would be possible without
    the devotion and professionalism of our partners on the ground:
    Courageous leaders of African nations who care about their people and
    who tell the truth; doctors and pharmacists who work without rest in
    overcrowded wards; health workers, often with HIV themselves, who visit
    homes and make sure people are taking their medicine; people who run
    youth groups and clubs that encourage abstinence and help children with
    HIV face the challenges of life. Many of these good people who serve
    others are also motivated by their deep faith. And we want to expand
    these partnerships.
        So today I am pleased to announce the New Partners Initiative.
    Through this initiative, which is part of the Emergency Plan, we will
    further reach out to our faith-based and community organizations that
    provide much of the health care in the developing world and make sure
    they have access to an American assistance. By identifying and
    supporting these organizations, we will reach more people, more
    effectively and save more lives.
        Americans have always stood for human dignity when history calls.
    When the nations of Europe lay in rubble after World War II, America
    helped build a brighter future with the Marshall plan. When the
    developing world looked for help and inspiration, we sent the Peace
    Corps to lay new foundations for friendship. And now, as millions
    afflicted with AIDS reach out for help, the American people are once
    again responding. On this World AIDS Day, we are proud to stand with our
    friends and partners in this urgent struggle. And every life we help to
    save makes us proud to be Americans.
        I want to thank you all for your good work. Thank you for joining us
    today. May God bless those who suffer, may God continue to bless our
    country.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:08 a.m. in Room 450 of the Dwight D.
    Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The transcript released by the
    Office of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of the First
    Lady, who introduced the President. The World AIDS Day proclamation of
    December 1 is listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.

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