    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
    [December 1, 2008]
    [Page 1401]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on World AIDS Day
    December 1, 2008

        Good morning. Today is World AIDS Day, a day we reaffirm our
    commitment to fight HIV/AIDS at home and abroad. Thirty-three million
    people around the world are living with HIV, including more than 1
    million Americans. Once again this year, to observe World AIDS Day,
    there is a red ribbon on the North Portico of the White House. The
    ribbon is a symbol of our resolve to confront HIV/AIDS and to affirm the
    matchless value of every life.
        One of the most important initiatives of my administration has been
    the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR. It's the largest
    international health initiative dedicated to a single disease. When we
    launched PEPFAR, our goal was to support treatment for 2 million people
    in 5 years. Today I'm pleased to announce that we have exceeded that
    goal early.
        American people, through PEPFAR, are supporting lifesaving treatment
    for more than 2 million people around the world. And when PEPFAR began,
    only 50,000 people living with HIV in all of sub-Sahara Africa were
    receiving antiretroviral treatment.
        Around the world, we've also supported care for more than 10 million
    people affected by HIV, including more than 4 million orphans and
    vulnerable children. More than 237,000 babies have been born HIV-free,
    thanks to the support of the American people for programs to prevent
    mothers from passing the virus on to their children.
        PEPFAR is bringing hope and healing to people around the world. On
    our trips to Africa, Laura and I have witnessed
    firsthand the gratitude of the African people.
        We look forward to discussing our efforts to combat global HIV/AIDS
    with Rick Warren at the Saddleback Civil
    Forum on Global Health this morning. In the meantime, we thank our
    fellow citizens for being so compassionate and so caring and so decent.
        God bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:07 a.m. on the North Lawn at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Richard D. Warren, pastor,
    Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA. The Office of the Press Secretary
    also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks. The World
    AIDS Day proclamation of November 26 is listed in Appendix D at the end
    of this volume.