[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 5 (Monday, February 3, 2003)]
[Pages 137-141]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

January 31, 2003

    Thank you all for coming. I'm honored you all are here. I'm so 
grateful that many from the diplomatic corps are here.
    This is a historic year for America. It's a year of great 
consequence. It's a year in which we have an opportunity to work with 
others to shape the future of our globe. We have a chance to achieve 
peace. We have a chance to achieve a more compassionate world for every 
citizen. America believes deeply that everybody has worth, everybody 
matters, everybody was created by the Almighty, and we're going to act 
on that belief, and we'll act on that passion.
    You know, the world looks at us and say, ``They're strong.'' And we 
are. We're strong militarily, but we've got a greater strength than 
that. We've got a strength in the universality of human rights and the 
human condition. It's in our country's history. It's ingrained in our 
soul. And today we're going to describe how we're going to act, not just 
talk, but act, on the basis of our firm beliefs.
    I want to thank Tommy; he's the new chairman of the board of the 
Global Fund. He's also the Secretary of Health and Human Services, doing 
a great job for our administration. I want to thank so very much the 
Ambassadors from Guyana and Uganda for standing up here with us today. I 
appreciate the other ambassadors from the continent of Africa and the 
Caribbean for being here.

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    With us as well is Bill Frist, a United States Senator, majority 
leader, passionate advocate of good health care for every citizen on the 
globe, a man with whom this administration will work, along with Russ 
Feingold, from Wisconsin, to make sure that the proposal becomes real. 
That means funded. [Laughter] There's no doubt in my mind that when 
you've got the majority leader and a distinguished Senator like Senator 
Feingold teaming up together, that this will get done. It's just a 
matter of time.
    I'm honored that Mark Malloch is here--Mark Malloch Brown is here, 
who is the U.N.--administrator of the U.N. Development Program. I want 
to thank--the U.S. Surgeon General Carmona is here with us. Rich, thank 
you for coming. Andrew Natsios is USAID administrator. Dr. Zerhouni of 
the NIH is with us. Tony Fauci is here with us. There are a lot of docs 
here today. [Laughter] Julie Gerberding of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention. Thank you all for coming today. Les Crawford is 
the deputy commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
     And of course, a man who is on my staff who is going to make an 
enormous difference here and abroad as a direct adviser to the 
President, and that's Dr. Joe O'Neill, who's the director of National 
AIDS Policy. He's about as fine a human being as you'll ever know. He 
cares deeply, and his care has had--he's got a lot of influence, let me 
put it to you this way, because of his convictions.
    As I mentioned, we're a strong nation. But we're also a blessed 
nation. And it's important for our citizens to recognize that richness 
is one thing. Recognizing that we're blessed gives a different 
perspective, I think. I think it enhances the fact that we have a 
responsibility. If you're blessed, there is a responsibility to 
recognize your blessings in a compassionate way. Blessings are a two-way 
street. We've got to understand in this country that if you value life 
and say every life is equal, that includes a suffering child on the 
continent of Africa. If you're worried about freedom, that's just not 
freedom for your neighbor in America; that's freedom for people around 
the globe. It's a universal principle.
    As I said in my State of the Union, freedom is not America's gift to 
the world; freedom is God's gift to humanity. Freedom means freedom from 
a lot of things. And today, on the continent of Africa, freedom means 
freedom from the fear of a deadly pandemic. That's what we think in 
America, and we're going to act on that belief. Our founding belief in 
human dignity should be how we conduct ourselves around the world and 
will be how we conduct ourselves around the world.
    I want you all to remember, and our fellow citizens to remember, 
that this is nothing new for our country. Human dignity has been a part 
of our history for a long time. We fed the hungry after World War I. 
This country carried out the Marshall plan and the Berlin airlift.
    Today we provide 60 percent--over 60 percent of all the 
international food aid. We're acting on our compassion. It's nothing new 
for our country. But there's a pandemic which we must address now, 
before it is too late. And that's why I took this message to our fellow 
citizens, that now is the time for this country to step up our efforts 
to save lives. After all, on the continent of Africa, 30 million people 
have the AIDS virus--30 million people. Three million children under the 
age of 15 have the AIDS virus. More than 4 million people require 
immediate drug treatment. Yet, just about one percent of people receive 
drug treatment. I mean, there is a significant world problem that the 
United States of America can do something about. We can be involved.
    Tommy mentioned the images, the horrible images, that take place in 
Africa. It's important for our fellow citizens, as they listen to the 
dialog on this initiative, to understand that there are mass burials and 
unmarked graves on the continent of Africa. So many people are dying 
that the graves are unmarked. The pandemic is creating such havoc that 
there are mass burials, that there are wards of children that are dying 
because of AIDS, not a ward, not some wards, but wards after wards full 
of dying children because of AIDS, that there are millions of orphans, 
lonely children, because their mom or dad has died--children left, in 
some cases, to fend for themselves.

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    Because the AIDS diagnosis is considered a death sentence, many 
folks don't seek treatment, and that's a reality. It's as if the AIDS 
pandemic just continues to feed upon itself over and over and over 
again, because of hopelessness. This country needs to provide some hope, 
because this disease can be prevented and it can be treated. That's 
important for our fellow citizens to know. Anti-retroviral drugs are now 
dramatically more affordable in many nations, and these drugs are used 
to extend the lives of those with HIV. In other words, these drugs are 
really affordable.
    And when the treatment has come to Africa, it is also important for 
our citizens to understand the effect of that treatment. It's called the 
Lazarus effect. When one patient is rescued by medicine, as if back from 
the dead, many others with AIDS seek testing and treatment, because it 
is the first sign of hope they have ever seen.
    We have the opportunity to bring that hope to millions. It's an 
opportunity for this Nation to affect millions and millions of lives. 
And so that's why I've laid out the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. I 
called it in my State of the Union a work of mercy, and that's what I 
believe it is.
    With approval of Congress, we will devote $15 billion to the fight 
AIDS abroad over the next 5 years, beginning with 2 billion in the year 
2004. I've been asked whether or not we're committed to the Global AIDS 
Fund. Well, first of all, I wouldn't put Tommy as the head of it if we 
weren't. And more importantly, he wouldn't have joined if we weren't.
    And so we're still committed to the Global AIDS Fund to fight 
disease. This program in no way diminishes our commitment to the fund. 
We will continue bilateral AIDS programs in more than 50 countries. 
We've already got bilateral relations with 50 countries with whom we're 
working on AIDS, and we'll continue that program.
    But this plan that I've laid out in front of the Congress and will 
work with Members of the Senate and the House on will dramatically focus 
our efforts. You notice I didn't say, ``focus our efforts,'' I said, 
``dramatically focus our efforts.'' And that's important for the 
American people to understand, because we want to bring a comprehensive 
system. It's more than money that we bring; we bring expertise and 
compassion and love and the desire to develop a comprehensive system, 
work with people in Africa to do so, for diagnosis and treatment and 
prevention.
    We are determined to turn the tide against AIDS. And we're going to 
start in 14 African and Caribbean countries, where the disease is most 
heavily concentrated. We whip it in those 15--or 14--we will show what 
is possible in other countries.
    We're going to be involved with the fund. We'll continue to have 
bilateral aid. We want to have intense focus where the need is most 
severe and show the world what is possible--not just show our fellow 
citizens or show the folks on the continent of Africa, but the world 
needs to see what we can do together. The model has been applied with 
great success in Uganda. Anybody who knows the issue of AIDS on the 
African Continent appreciates the efforts of Uganda. And we feel like 
that it can be duplicated, and that's the mission, the goal. Even though 
we're on 14 countries initially with this major focus, we understand 
there's suffering elsewhere. And we want to expand beyond. We want to 
encourage others to join us as well.
    The funding will initially go toward expanding existing hospitals 
and, of course, drawing on the knowledge and the expertise of local 
physicians. That makes sense. You've got a doc in place, we want to 
encourage that doc to be able to continue his or her healing. We'll 
build satellite facilities that can serve more people. Of course, we'll 
provide antiretroviral drugs and as well work with folks on the ground 
for education and care.
    It's important for our citizens to know that the infrastructure is--
it's hard for many Americans to imagine the lack of infrastructure that 
we're working with on the continent of Africa. So we use motorcycles, 
trucks, bicycles. We use nurses and local healers to go to the farthest 
villages and farms to test for the disease and to deliver medications 
that will save lives. It doesn't matter how the medications get there; 
what matters is they do get there.
    Facilities across Africa and the Caribbean will have now the 
medicine. And our fellow citizens must understand that the reason they

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do is because of your generosity, the taxpayers of the country. I hope 
when our citizens absorb that knowledge--the massive attempt to save 
lives--that they feel proud of their country and proud of the compassion 
of America. We're going to work with other governments, of course, 
private groups--there's all kinds of faith-based programs involved on 
the continent of Africa, and we welcome that, of course. And we 
encourage that. And we thank you for that.
    A fellow named Father Edward Phillips is here. Where are you, 
Father? Right there, yes. I thought you were Father Edward Phillips for 
a minute. [Laughter] He is in Kenya, works in Kenya. He's obviously 
followed his faith. He leads an organization that provides testing and 
treatment in Nairobi. He's helped thousands of people every year. He 
ought to be giving this speech, not me, because he knows what it must 
feel like to play a significant role in saving lives. And that's what 
we're here to talk about today, how best to save lives.
    And here's what the experts believe that will be accomplished 
through the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief: that in this decade, we will 
prevent 7 million new infections; that we'll treat at least 2 million 
people with life-extending drugs. We'll provide humane care, of course, 
for those who suffer and, as importantly, for the orphans.
    To me, that's just the beginning. But it's a pretty good start. Most 
important thing is we're providing hope, which is immeasurable. How can 
you possibly measure the benefits of hope? There's no--we can't quantify 
that. But it certainly can be qualified by saying a hopeful society is a 
heck of a lot better society than what they found on the continent 
today.
    This project is urgent, and as we move forward on this program we 
will continue to call upon other nations to join. The United States 
doesn't mind leading, and we believe others have a responsibility as 
well, that we're not the only blessed nation. There are many blessed 
nations. And we hope they join us. And as well we've got a lot of work 
to do here in America. It's important for our fellow citizens never to 
think that one initiative or a major initiative in Africa doesn't mean 
we're going to forget the 900,000 people living in America today who 
carry the HIV virus. Of course we'll never do that. It's important for 
our citizens to understand that there's 40,000 new infections every year 
in this country. It's an issue. It's an issue we must continue to deal 
with.
    The AIDS diagnosis still obviously brings tremendous grief and 
worries in parts of our society. And so the budget I've submitted and 
worked with Congress on will be a request for $16 billion for domestic 
HIV prevention and care and treatment; it's a 7 percent increase over 
'03. It's a $93 million increase for AIDS research. It's $100 million 
more to support the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. This is a program 
which provides funding to purchase AIDS-related medicines for those 
without health coverage. And we're going to help those abroad, and we'll 
help those at home as well.
    We must also move quickly to increase the number of people who are 
tested for HIV. How can you treat if you don't test? How can you help if 
you don't know? And so the Food and Drug Administration recently has 
approved a new HIV test, which can provide results in less than 30 
minutes, with a 99.6 percent accuracy.
    So today I've got an announcement to make, and it's this: That the 
Department of Health and Human Services, after a lot of careful review, 
has waived regulations so that the test will soon be more readily 
available to doctors and public health facilities throughout the 
country.
    As I've said, it's going to be a significant year for our country. 
I'm a person who believes that there's no obstacle put in our path that 
we can't overcome; I truly believe that. I love what our country stands 
for. I love the strength of America. The strength of America really is 
the--lies in the hearts and souls of our fellow citizens.
    As we move forward into the 21st century, there's no doubt we can 
help the people on the African Continent, while we help our own folks at 
home with the deadly disease. There's no doubt we can arrest the 
pandemic. There's no doubt we can bring hope in all parts of the world, 
not only in Africa but in neighborhoods in our own country where people 
wonder what the American

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Dream means. There's no doubt in my mind we can make the world more 
peaceful.
    Today's initiative is one--it's a step toward showing the world the 
great compassion of a great country.
    Thanks for coming, and God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 11:31 a.m. in Presidential Hall in the 
Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building. In his remarks, he 
referred to Odeen Ishmael, Guyana's Ambassador to the U.S.; Edith Grace 
Ssempala, Uganda's Ambassador to the U.S.; Anthony S. Fauci, Director, 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National 
Institutes of Health; and Father Edward Phillips, chairperson, Eastern 
Deanery CBHC and AIDS Relief Program.