[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 49 (Monday, December 8, 2003)]
[Pages 1733-1734]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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Proclamation 7740--World AIDS Day, 2003

December 1, 2003

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    The HIV/AIDS pandemic presents one of the greatest medical and 
social challenges of our time. On World AIDS Day, members of the global 
community come together to demonstrate our shared commitment to turning 
the tide against the spread of HIV/AIDS, bringing hope and healing to 
those who are suffering, and finding a cure.
    Over the last two decades, AIDS has claimed the lives of more than 
20 million people. Three million have died in the last year alone. 
Today, more than 40 million people are living with HIV, including nearly 
30 million in Africa. Behind these staggering numbers are the names and 
faces of orphaned and suffering children, devastated communities, and a 
continent in crisis.
    In my State of the Union Message to the Congress in January of this 
year, I announced an ``Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief,'' with a goal of 
helping millions around the world affected by HIV/AIDS, particularly 
those in the most afflicted nations in Africa and the Caribbean. In May, 
the Congress responded by passing the ``United States Leadership Against 
HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003,'' which I signed into 
law. A life-saving initiative, the Act commits $15 billion over the next 
5 years to prevent 7 million new HIV infections, treat at least 2 
million people with life-extending drugs, provide care for at least 10 
million people affected by AIDS, continue bilateral programs in over 75 
countries, and increase support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, 
Tuberculosis, and Malaria. This work of mercy will help overcome fear, 
stigma, and discrimination and create a cycle of hope and promise that 
will benefit millions.
    Here at home, we will spend more than $15 billion this year to 
combat AIDS in America. This money will support research activities, 
care and treatment services, and prevention programs, including the wide 
availability of rapid HIV testing.
    Fighting HIV/AIDS is not only a great challenge but also a moral 
imperative for those who believe in the value and dignity of every human 
life. This World AIDS Day, the United States remains committed to taking 
action, showing compassion, and bringing hope to those affected by HIV/
AIDS around the world.
    Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, 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, 2003, 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 
reaffirming our commitment to combating HIV/AIDS. I encourage all 
Americans to participate in appropriate commemorative programs and 
ceremonies in houses of worship, workplaces, and other community centers 
to remember those who have lost their lives to this deadly disease and 
to comfort and support those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of 
December, in the year of our Lord two thousand three, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
eighth.
                                                George W. Bush

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., December 3, 
2003]

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

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