[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 48 (Monday, December 3, 2007)]
[Pages 1543-1545]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on World AIDS Day in Mount Airy, Maryland

November 30, 2007

    Tomorrow is World AIDS Day, and Laura and I are honored to 
commemorate the occasion here at the Calvary United Methodist Church. 
And we're honored to commemorate the day with people who have dedicated 
their lives to save lives.
    I want to start by thanking Ambassador Mark Dybul, who is the Global 
AIDS Coordinator. His job is to make sure that America's great 
compassion is effective and widespread, that the goals we have set are 
met. And I--Mr. Ambassador, you're doing a fine job, and I want to thank 
you very much for serving.
    I also want to thank Pastor Dennis Yocum, the pastor of this church. 
Dennis, I want to thank you for your hospitality--it's not easy to host 
the President and all those who follow the President. I want to thank 
the members of your church who have so graciously made our stay here so 
comfortable.
    I really want to thank the people standing behind me for not only 
joining Laura and me in discussions but for serving as such powerful 
examples of the human spirit. Behind me are folks who understand that 
the scourge of HIV/AIDS can be mitigated and that people's lives can be 
improved, who have seen hopelessness and have seen hope, people who are 
willing to act on the universal call to love a neighbor. People here 
come

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from obviously different backgrounds and different denominations, yet 
they share this timeless calling to heal the sick and comfort the 
lonely. And their stories are incredibly inspirational and touching.
    I appreciate the fact that they live out their faith, just like 
hundreds of thousands of other people do who are involved with the HIV/
AIDS crisis. And in so living out their faith, they better our world.
    World AIDS Day is both a day of sadness and a day of hope. We 
remember with sadness all those lost to AIDS. We mourn their lives cut 
short, their dreams of future denied. And we ask for God's blessing on 
the loved ones they have left behind. We also mark this day with hope 
for the improving prospects of those living with the virus, for the 
unprecedented number of infections being prevented, and for new progress 
toward eradicating this disease. Above all, we rededicate ourselves to a 
great purpose: We will turn the tide against HIV/AIDS once and for all.
    According to the most recent estimates by the United Nations, more 
than 33 million people around the world live with HIV. They are mothers; 
they are fathers, brothers and sisters, friends and teachers. And each 
day, some 5,700 lose their life.
    When Americans witness this suffering, they feel a duty to respond. 
Some are motivated by conscience and a conviction that America should 
use its great influence to be a force for good. Many others are driven 
by faith, by the call to love your neighbor as yourself, even when that 
neighbor may live on the other side of the world. This spirit of 
brotherhood and generosity has long defined our country. And over the 
past 6 years, we have rallied that spirit in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
    Here at home, we've taken new measures to increase HIV/AIDS testing 
and expand treatment and improve care. We've worked with health care 
providers to make voluntary HIV screening a routine part of medical 
care, so all Americans can know their status. We've worked with Congress 
to renew the Ryan White Care Act, which helps HIV/AIDS patients receive 
lifesaving drugs.
    Overseas, the scope of this challenge is much longer--much larger, 
and this Nation is responding. In 2003, I proposed the Emergency Plan 
for AIDS Relief, a 5-year, $15 billion initiative to expand prevention, 
treatment, and care in the most heavily affected countries. Congress 
approved the plan with bipartisan support. And I want our fellow 
citizens to think about what this means. Every year, American taxpayers 
send billions of their hard-earned dollars overseas to save the lives of 
people they have never met.
    In return for this extraordinary generosity, Americans expect 
results, so the emergency plan includes specific, measurable targets for 
progress. It demands honesty and accountability for all those involved. 
It puts local partners in the lead because they know the needs of their 
people best. With this strategy, we have pioneered a new model for 
public health. And so far, the results have been striking.
    Five years ago, only 50,000 people with AIDS in sub-Sahara Africa 
were receiving antiretroviral drugs. Today, thanks to the emergency plan 
and to the generosity of the American taxpayer, that number is nearly 
1.4 million. Think about that. Over a 5-year period of time, the number 
of people in sub-Sahara Africa has increased from 50,000 people to 1.4 
million thanks to the American taxpayer. Around the world, another 6.7 
million people with HIV/AIDS have received compassionate care, including 
2.7 million orphans and vulnerable children. Tens of millions have 
received prevention messages based on the proven principles of ABC, 
which is ``Abstinence, Be faithful, and use Condoms.''
    The money that you have spent is being spent wisely and saving 
lives. Some call this a remarkable success. I call it a good start. So 
we have worked with the private sector and G-8 nations to increase their 
commitments. This May, I proposed to double our Nation's initial pledge 
to $30 billion over the next 5 years. These American funds will help us 
support treatment for nearly 2.5 million people, prevent more than 12 
million new infections, and support care for 12 million people, 
including more than 5 million orphans and vulnerable children. Now the 
time has come for the United States Congress to act again. I'm confident 
they will, and I call

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on the Congress to show America's leadership by reauthorizing the 
emergency plan and doubling our commitment to this urgent cause.
    One reason for the effectiveness of our efforts is the leading role 
of faith-based organizations. Last summer, volunteers from this church 
traveled to Namibia to serve at a home for AIDS orphans. Think about 
that. People from this part of Maryland took it upon themselves to 
travel to a faraway land to help orphans, to say we love you, to inspire 
through their compassion. With me today is a fellow named Chris Dominick 
from the McLean Bible Church. He briefed Laura and me and the others on 
the training that he had received in order to go to Zambia tomorrow. 
Faith-based groups like these are the foot soldiers in the armies of 
compassion. They are changing behavior by changing hearts, and they are 
helping to defeat this epidemic one soul at a time.
    This morning I also met a woman a named Martha Chilufya--was afraid 
you left. [Laughter] Eight years ago, she established Mututa Memorial 
Center in Zambia to honor her husband, who had died of AIDS. Today, the 
center partners with the emergency plan and faith-based caregivers to 
serve more than 150 patients. Martha hosted Laura and Jenna on their 
recent trip to Africa. And they listened to a choir of orphans who had 
received loving care at the center. The children sang these inspiring 
words: ``God, you are really there . . . when I pray, when I cry, when I 
am ill, you are there.''
    Stories like these bring pride to our country, and they should bring 
something more. When we support nations seeking to replace chaos and 
despair with progress and hope, we reduce the appeal of extremism. When 
we replace despair with progress, when we replace hopelessness with 
hope, we add to the security of our Nation. As well, we make friends who 
will always remember that America stood with them in their hour of need.
    The new relationships that America has forged in Africa are a high 
priority for our Nation. I'm pleased to announce that Laura and I will 
travel to sub-Sahara Africa early next year. I look forward to seeing 
the results of America's generosity and to assure our friends that they 
have a steady partner in the United States of America.
    The Scriptures tell us, ``I have set before you life and death . . . 
therefore, choose life.'' All who wage the battle against AIDS have made 
the choice for life. Because of their compassion and courage, millions 
who once saw the disease as a death sentence now look to the future with 
hope. This World AIDS Day is a day of importance because it's a day we 
resolve to continue the work of healing and redemption. It's a day to 
strive for the day when the scourge of AIDS is a part of history.
    Laura and I are honored to be here with you all. May God bless your 
work; may God bless those who suffer from HIV/AIDS; may God continue to 
bless our country. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 11:43 a.m. at Calvary United Methodist 
Church. In his remarks, he referred to Martha Chilufya, director, Mutata 
Memorial Center, Lusaka, Zambia.