[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 48 (Monday, December 4, 1995)]
[Pages 2091-2092]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6854--World AIDS Day, 1995

November 30, 1995

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Today the world pauses to remember the millions of men, women, and 
children who are living with HIV and AIDS and to honor the memory of 
those who have lost their lives to this insidious disease. We renew our 
commitment to searching for a cure to AIDS and a vaccine for HIV, 
rededicate ourselves to reducing the number of people who become 
infected with the virus, and devote our efforts to protecting the 
dignity and rights of all those affected by the AIDS epidemic.
    The statistics are overwhelming. Around the world, more than 18 
million people are believed to be infected with HIV. In America alone, 
over half a million people have been struck by AIDS, and more than 
300,000 have already lost their lives. Nearly 80,000 of our fellow 
citizens are diagnosed with AIDS and more than 40,000 are dying of the 
disease each year--some 120 every day. In addition, there are an 
estimated 40,000 to 60,000 Americans who contract HIV annually. The 
impact of these numbers goes far beyond the individuals involved--each 
AIDS death devastates a family, weakens a community, and changes society 
as a whole. HIV and AIDS present extraordinary challenges to every 
nation and every person on our planet.
    In the past year, there has been some encouraging progress. 
Researchers from many countries have combined their knowledge and skills 
to better understand the virus that causes AIDS and its effects on the 
human body; new AIDS drugs are being developed and approved faster than 
ever before; we are

[[Page 2092]]

beginning to find ways to rebuild immune systems destroyed by HIV so 
that those infected can live longer, healthier lives; and we are 
aggressively confronting this crisis with prevention programs at the 
grassroots and national levels.
    But there is still much work to do. Half of all new infections occur 
among people under the age of 25, and one-fourth occur among teenagers. 
We must protect the next generation by continuing to improve the 
availability of health care services for those with HIV and AIDS. Since 
1990, the Ryan White CARE Act has offered help and hope to hundreds of 
thousands of people, and we are working with the Congress to extend this 
vital program for an additional 5 years. However, while the CARE Act is 
an essential element of the safety net that protects people with HIV and 
AIDS, it cannot do the job alone. We must also maintain our 30-year 
commitment to the Medicaid program, which provides services to nearly 
half of all Americans living with AIDS and more than 90 percent of 
children with AIDS. Without the protection that Medicaid affords, these 
individuals and their families would lose all access to health care.
    Let us also continue to ensure that our Nation responds aggressively 
and humanely to the needs of people living with HIV and AIDS. Throughout 
this epidemic, community organizations have taken the lead in the 
struggle against the disease and in efforts to provide compassionate 
care to those in need. Across this country and around the globe, 
generous people perform miracles every day--holding a hand, cooling a 
fever, listening, and understanding. Let us further support their 
efforts to build a better world by strengthening the partnership between 
communities and government in the work to stop AIDS.
    The theme of this eighth observance of World AIDS Day, ``Shared 
Rights, Shared Responsibilities,'' is a call to fight against 
discrimination as strongly as we fight for a cure. When one human being 
is persecuted because of his or her HIV status, we all suffer. Let us 
pledge to stand together, united against HIV and AIDS and committed to 
ending ignorance and prejudice.
    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, 1995, as World AIDS Day. I ask the American people to join me in 
reaffirming our commitment to combatting HIV and AIDS and in reaching 
out to all those whose lives have been affected by 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-five, 
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 
and twentieth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 4:41 p.m., November 30, 
1995]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on 
December 4.