    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [May 30, 2007]
    [Pages 640-642]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
    May 30, 2007

        Thank you all for coming. Welcome to the Rose Garden. Today I'm
    joined by some very determined people who are battling one of the worst
    epidemics of modern times, the spread of HIV/AIDS.
        I want to thank you all for being here. I'm honored to be in your
    presence. And I want to thank others who are joining us in this
    important cause as well, starting with Ambassador Mark Dybul, who is the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. He runs our
    PEPFAR initiative. Mark, thank you for being here, as well as Rajat
    Gupta, who is the chairman of the board of the
    Global Fight--Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Rajat,
    we're proud you're here.
        He's told me something very interesting.
    Actually, he and I attended the same graduate school, and he said:
    ``It's important for people who have been successful in the business
    world to contribute something back to society.'' And, Rajat, thank you
    for that spirit, and thank you for that compassion and concern.

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        Secretary Mike Leavitt is with us,
    the Department of Health and Human Services; Ambassador John
    Negroponte, Deputy Secretary of State.
    I'm about to make an important initiative. I appreciate my--the members
    of my administration for joining us to hear this initiative.
        The U.S. and our citizens have tackled HIV/AIDS aggressively. Many
    HIV-positive Americans are able to lead productive lives. The story has
    been quite different elsewhere, especially in sub-Sahara Africa.
        When I took office, an HIV diagnosis in Africa's poorest communities
    was usually a death sentence. Parents watched their babies die
    needlessly because local clinics lacked effective treatments. The story
    of a mother of Kenya affected me deeply, when she couldn't afford drugs,
    except for one person in her family. So she forgave her own treatment to
    save her son. Despairing families who had lost everything to AIDS
    started to believe that they had been cursed by the Almighty God. This
    modern-day plague robbed Africa and other countries of the hope of
    progress and threatened to push many communities toward chaos.
        The United States has responded vigorously to this crisis. In 2003,
    I asked Congress to approve an emergency plan for AIDS relief. Our
    Nation pledged $15 billion over 5 years for HIV/AIDS prevention,
    treatment, and care in many of the poorest nations on Earth. In the
    years since, thanks to the support of the United States Congress and the
    American people, our country has met this pledge. This level of
    assistance is unprecedented and the largest commitment by any nation to
    combat a single disease in human history.
        This investment has yielded the best possible return: saved lives.
    To date, the emergency plan has supported treatment for 1.1 million
    people infected with HIV. This is a promising start, yet without further
    action, the legislation that funded this emergency plan is set to expire
    in 2008. Today I ask Congress to demonstrate America's continuing
    commitment to fighting the scourge of HIV/AIDS by reauthorizing this
    legislation now. I ask Congress to double our initial commitment and
    approve an additional $30 billion for HIV/AIDS prevention, for care, and
    for treatment over the next 5 years.
        This money will be spent wisely through the establishment of
    partnership compacts with host nations. These compacts would ensure that
    U.S. funds support programs that have the greatest possible impact and
    are sustainable for the future. America will work with governments, the
    private sector, and faith and community-based organizations around the
    world to meet measurable goals: to support treatment for nearly 2.5
    million people, to prevent more than 12 million new infections, and to
    support care for 12 million people, including more than 5 million
    orphans and vulnerable children.
        To help assess the progress we have made to date, Laura, the First Lady, is going to go to Africa next month.
    She's going to meet with community leaders and visit with participants
    in HIV/AIDS programs during her trip to Zambia, Senegal, Mali, and
    Mozambique. And she's going to come back with her findings. I really
    thank her for her concern about HIV/AIDS. She and I share a passion. We
    believe strongly that to whom much is given, much is required. Much has
    been given the United States of America. Therefore, I believe strongly,
    as does she, that much is required of us in helping solve this problem.
        The statistics and dollar amounts I've cited in the fight against
    HIV/AIDS are significant, but the scale of this effort is not measured
    in numbers. This is really a story of the human spirit and the goodness
    of human hearts. Once again, the generosity of the American people is
    one of the great untold stories of our time. Our citizens are offering
    comfort to millions who suffer, and restoring hope to those who feel
    forsaken.

    [[Page 642]]

        You know, one good example of this good work is supported by--that
    the U.S. supports is called the Coptic Hope Center, in Nairobi, Kenya.
    Three years ago, the center had a staff of four people and resources to
    treat no more than five HIV/AIDS patients a day. Today, the staff
    consists of 40 people and 10 volunteers who provided care and treatment
    services to over 6,000 people. I want to thank the Director of the Hope
    Center, Bishop Paul, who's with us today. I
    want to thank you for being here. I want to thank you for your
    leadership and for your care for your fellow human beings.
        Dr. Bill Pape is with us as well. Dr. Pape
    is an expert on infectious diseases and founded in Haiti a leading HIV
    treatment program, which is a major PEPFAR partner. Dr. Pape has shown
    that even in the most difficult circumstances, dedicated and caring
    people can make great progress in fighting HIV/AIDS. We're sure proud
    you're here, doc. Thanks for coming.
        Also with us is Kunene Tantoh. Kunene is HIV positive. She coordinates a mentoring
    program, supported by U.S. funds, for other mothers with HIV in Cape
    Town, South Africa. Kunene is proof that people with HIV can live
    productive lives and make a significant difference in the lives of
    others. Kunene, I want to thank you for joining us. Thank you for
    bringing Baron. Baron is 4 years
    old, and he's letting us know. [Laughter] We appreciate you all coming.
    Thank you for the example you have set.
        Similar success stories are playing out all across the African
    continent, where victims of HIV/AIDS are finding new reservoirs of
    strength and support. Villages in Africa now talk of the Lazarus effect,
    dying communities being brought back to life, thanks to the compassion
    of the American people. This is the impact that has made our emergency
    plan and the modern-day, good Samaritans who are implementing it so
    effective. It's important that we continue the work we have begun.
        I'm honored that you were here today. I'm honored to be representing
    a nation that cares deeply about the suffering of others. I look forward
    to working with Congress on this great and noble effort.
        May God bless you all. May God continue to bless the United States.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:14 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Jean W. Pape, director, Haitian
    Study Group on Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections; and
    Manyongo ``Kunene'' Mosima Tantoh, member, Mothers to Mothers-To-Be. The
    Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language
    transcript of these remarks.