[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 129, 114th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9374 of November 30, 2015

World AIDS Day, 2015

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

More than three decades ago, the first known cases of HIV/AIDS sparked
an epidemic in the United States--ushering in a time defined by how
little we knew about it and in which those affected by it faced fear and
stigmatization. We have made extraordinary progress in the fight against
HIV since that time, but much work remains to be done. On World AIDS
Day, we remember those who we have lost to HIV/AIDS, celebrate the
triumphs earned through the efforts of scores of advocates and
providers, pledge our support for those at risk for or living with HIV,
and rededicate our talents and efforts to achieving our goal of an AIDS-
free generation.
Today, more people are receiving life-saving treatment for HIV than ever
before, and millions of HIV infections have been prevented. Still, more
than 36 million people around the world live with HIV--including nearly
3 million children. My Administration is committed to ending the spread
of HIV and improving the lives of all who live with it. In the United
States, the Affordable Care Act has allowed more people to access
coverage for preventive services like HIV testing, and new health plans
are now required to offer HIV screening with no cost sharing. Insurance
companies can no longer discriminate against individuals living with
HIV/AIDS or any other pre-existing condition. Additionally, this year
marks the 25th anniversary of the Ryan White CARE Act, which established
the Ryan White Program--a program that helps provide needed care to the
most vulnerable individuals and touches over half of all people living
with HIV in America.
To further our fight to end the HIV epidemic, my Administration released
our country's first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy in 2010.
The Strategy provided a clear framework for changing the way we talk
about HIV, and it offered a critical roadmap that prioritizes our
Nation's response to this epidemic and organizes the ways we deliver HIV
services. Earlier this year, I signed an Executive Order to update the
Strategy through 2020, focusing on expanding HIV testing and care,
widening support for those living with HIV to stay in comprehensive
care, promoting universal viral suppression among individuals infected
with HIV, and increasing access to preventive measures, including pre-
exposure prophylaxis for people at substantial risk of acquiring HIV.
Additionally, the primary aims of the Strategy include reducing HIV-
related disparities and health inequities, because HIV still affects
specific populations disproportionately across our country. Certain
individuals--including gay and bisexual men, Black women and men,

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Latinos and Latinas, people who inject drugs, transgender women, young
people, and people in the Southern United States--are at greater risk
for HIV, and we must target our efforts to reduce HIV-related health
disparities and focus increased attention on highly vulnerable
populations. My most recent Federal budget proposal includes more than
$31 billion in funding for HIV/AIDS treatment, care, prevention, and
research. We are also making great progress toward achieving a greater
viral suppression rate among those diagnosed with HIV, and in the last 5
years, we have made critical funding increases to ensure more Americans
have access to life-saving treatment.
We cannot achieve an AIDS-free generation without addressing the
pervasive presence of HIV throughout the world, which is why our Nation
is committed to achieving the goals laid out in the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development to reach more people living with HIV, promote
global health, and end the AIDS epidemic. The President's Emergency Plan
for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has helped save lives across the globe and has
made significant impacts on the number of new HIV infections by
strengthening international partnerships and expanding essential
services for preventing and treating HIV. This year, I announced new
targets for PEPFAR that aim to provide almost 13 million people with
life-saving treatment by the end of 2017. The United States is also
committing resources to support PEPFAR's work to achieve a 40 percent
decrease in HIV incidence among young women and girls in the most
vulnerable areas of sub-Saharan Africa. This is a shared responsibility,
and America will remain a leader in the effort to end HIV/AIDS while
continuing to work with the international community to address this
challenge and secure a healthier future for all people.
Working with private industry, faith communities, philanthropic
organizations, the scientific and medical communities, networks of
people living with HIV and affected populations, and governments
worldwide, we can accomplish our goals of reducing new HIV infections,
increasing access to care, improving health outcomes for patients,
reducing HIV-related disparities, and building a cohesive, coordinated
response to HIV. On this day, let us pay tribute to those whom HIV/AIDS
took from us too soon, and let us recognize those who continue to fight
for a world free from AIDS. Let us also recognize researchers,
providers, and advocates, who work each day on behalf of people living
with HIV, and in honor of the precious lives we have lost to HIV.
Together, we can forge a future in which no person--here in America or
anywhere in our world--knows the pain or stigma caused by HIV/AIDS.
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, 2015, 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 fifteen, and

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of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
fortieth.
BARACK OBAMA