[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 48 (Monday, December 6, 1993)]
[Pages 2482-2483]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6632--World AIDS Day, 1993

 November 30, 1993

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

     AIDS and HIV disease have cut short the lives of many Americans who 
had so much to contribute. They have plagued our sons and daughters, our 
mothers and fathers, our brothers and sisters, and our friends and co-
workers. The devastating effects of AIDS have touched all of us. More 
than one million of our fellow citizens are infected with HIV, the virus 
that causes AIDS. Since January 1981, more than 340,000 Americans have 
developed AIDS, and more than 200,000 have died from complications 
resulting from AIDS.
    On this World AIDS Day, we recognize and are humbled by the global 
impact of HIV disease. The World Health Organization estimates that more 
than 14 million people worldwide are infected with HIV and that more 
than 2.5 million have developed AIDS. By the end of this century, more 
than 30 million people will have been infected with HIV and, of those, 
more than 10 million adults will have developed AIDS.
    The extent of HIV infection is overwhelming, but we must not allow 
ourselves to despair in the face of these daunting statistics. Instead, 
we must accelerate our efforts to find effective treatments, a vaccine, 
and an eventual cure for this scourge that haunts us.
    This Administration has undertaken a new commitment to AIDS research 
and prevention and to the development of improved care and treatment for 
those with HIV disease. Through the strengthened Office of AIDS Research 
at the National Institutes of Health, we are increasing our efforts to 
improve treatments and working more effectively to find a cure for HIV 
and AIDS.
    State governments and public health officials across our Nation have 
mobilized to educate the public and address the needs, not only of 
persons with AIDS, but also of their families and loved ones. Community-
based organizations throughout the country have provided education, care 
programs, and

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support to those coping with HIV and their families. Volunteers across 
America, members of local service organizations, church groups, gay and 
lesbian service organizations, and thousands of individuals have heard 
the summons to action and have given selflessly of their time and 
energy. Those who labor to hasten the end of this terrible epidemic 
deserve our deep appreciation and admiration.
    Education is our most effective tool in preventing the spread of 
HIV/AIDS. We need to ensure that all Americans will protect their lives 
and the lives of their loved ones by making safe and healthy choices. 
Government alone cannot solve this crisis. We all must look deep within 
our souls to find the compassion, the values, the spirit, and the 
commitment that will allow us to conquer this modern-day plague.
    I call upon every American to join in the effort to fight the spread 
of HIV and to treat those living with HIV with dignity and respect. We 
all hope and pray for the day when we discover a cure and a preventive 
vaccine. Until that day--which I know will come--we all must work 
together, strengthen our resolve to marshal the resources necessary to 
end the epidemic, and increase our compassion for those who need our 
help in their struggle against HIV disease.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 
1, 1993, as World AIDS Day, and I invite the Governors of the States, 
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, officials of other territories subject 
to the jurisdiction of the United States, and the American people to 
join me in reaffirming our commitment to combatting HIV/AIDS and to 
helping those living with this disease.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day 
of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-three, 
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 
and eighteenth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:01 a.m., December 1, 
1993]

Note: This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on December 1, and it was published in the Federal Register on 
December 2.