[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 123, 111th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

123 STAT. 3742
 
PROCLAMATION 8459--NOV. 25, 2009

Proclamation 8459 of November 25, 2009
World AIDS Day, 2009
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

Our Nation joins the world in celebrating the extraordinary advancements
we have made in the battle against HIV and AIDS, and remembering those
we have lost. Over the past three decades, brave men and women have
fought devastating discrimination, stigma, doubt, and violence as they
stood in the face of this deadly disease. Many of them would not be here
today, but for the dedication of other persons living with HIV, their
loved ones and families, community advocates, and members of the medical
profession. On World AIDS Day, we rededicate ourselves to developing a
national AIDS strategy that will establish the priorities necessary to
combat this devastating epidemic at home, and to renewing our leadership
role and commitments abroad.
Though we have been witness to incredible progress, our struggle against
HIV/AIDS is far from over. With an infection occurring every nine-and-a-
half minutes in America, there are more than one million individuals
estimated to be living with the disease in our country. Of those
currently infected, one in five does not know they have the condition,
and the majority of new infections are spread by people who are unaware
of their own status. HIV/AIDS does not discriminate as it infiltrates
neighborhoods and communities. Americans of any gender, age, ethnicity,
income, or sexual orientation can and are contracting the disease.

Globally, there are over 33 million people living with HIV. While
millions have died from this disease, the death rate is slowly declining
due, in part, to our Nation's global effort through the President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program. However, HIV remains a
leading cause of death worldwide. Women and children around the world
are particularly vulnerable due to gender inequalities, gaps in access
to services, and increases in sexual violence. While the statistics are
distressing, new medications and scientific advancements give us reason
for hope.
Tackling this disease will take an aggressive, steadfast approach. My
Administration is developing a national HIV/AIDS strategy to bolster our
response to the domestic epidemic, and a global health initiative that
will build on PEPFAR's success. We will develop a strategy to reduce HIV
incidence, improve access to care, and help eliminate HIV-related health
disparities. We have already ensured that visitors to our shores living
with HIV are not marginalized and discriminated against because of their
HIV status. We have also secured the continuation of critical HIV/AIDS
care and treatment services. Today, we recommit ourselves to building on
the accomplishments of the past decades that have dramatically changed
the domestic and global HIV/AIDS landscape.
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, 2009, as
World AIDS Day. I urge the Governors of the States and

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123 STAT. 3743

the territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and
the American people to join in appropriate activities to remember those
who have lost their lives to AIDS, and to provide support and comfort to
those living with this disease.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of
November, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
fourth.
BARACK OBAMA