[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 30 (Monday, August 4, 2008)]
[Pages 1043-1046]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Signing the United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, 
Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008

July 30, 2008

    Thank you. Thank you for the kind introduction. [Laughter] And 
welcome to the White House for what has got to be an historic and joyous 
day.
    I am about to sign the United States Global Leadership Against HIV/
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008, and I'm 
looking forward to it. [Laughter] This act is--it's going to save 
millions of people, and it's--honors the memory of

[[Page 1044]]

two great leaders, Tom Lantos and Henry Hyde. And we're proud members of 
their families are here. And I'm looking forward to you all joining us 
when we sign the bill.
    This bill embodies the extraordinary compassion of the American 
people. We are a compassionate nation, and that's what this bill says 
loud and clear. I want to thank everybody who's helped make this bill 
possible.
    I particularly want to thank the Members of the House and the Senate 
who have joined us. I know you're anxious to see the bill signed, so I'm 
not going to try to name every single name. But I do want to thank Joe 
Biden and Dick Lugar from the United States Senate. These men worked 
together in an incredibly constructive way to get the bill moving, and I 
want to thank you.
    Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, 
worked very hard to get this bill going as well. And all the other 
Members, thank you for coming; I'm proud you all are here.
    I want to thank Mike Leavitt; John Negroponte; Henrietta Fore; Mark 
Dybul, who happens to be the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. He's done 
such a fine job; he ended up on the stage for the bill signing ceremony.
    And the bald-headed guy on the end--[laughter]--not you, Biden, 
but--[laughter]--Rear Admiral Tim Ziemer, who is the U.S. Malaria 
Coordinator--thank you for coming.
    Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director--appreciate you coming, Peter. 
Rajat Gupta is the chairman of the board of the Global Fund. Glad you're 
here, Rajat; thank you both for coming. Members of the diplomatic corps, 
we're proud to have you here. Congressional and agency staff who worked 
so hard on this bill, thank you for doing it.
    African Children's Choir, which we'll hear soon--I think you'll find 
them to be as angelic as I did. I, too, want to thank all the supporters 
of PEPFAR. Thank you for your diligence and your care and your hard 
work.
    Just a few years ago, HIV/AIDS raged out of control. An entire 
continent was caught in the pandemic's merciless grip. In countries like 
Botswana, AIDS had cut the average life expectancy by 15 years. One 
newspaper wrote: ``The AIDS pandemic is destined to rival the Black 
Death of the Middle Ages as a global horror.''
    Well, today, the outlook is really different. HIV/AIDS is still one 
of the world's greatest humanitarian challenges--no question about it--
but it is a challenge we're meeting. And a lot of it has to do with 
PEPFAR.
    PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single 
disease in human history. It is distinguished from past relief efforts 
by a few key principles. The emergency plan demands specific, measurable 
targets for progress. It puts local partners in the lead, because they 
know the needs of their people best. It enlists new partners from the 
faith community and the private sector.
    And so far the results are striking. When we launched the initiative 
in 2003, only 50,000 people in sub-Sahara Africa were receiving 
antiretroviral treatments. Today, we support treatment for nearly 1.7 
million people in the region, and tens of thousands more around the 
world, from Asia to Eastern Europe. PEPFAR has also supported care for 
nearly 7 million people, including millions of orphans and vulnerable 
children. To date, PEPFAR has allowed nearly 200,000 children in Africa 
to be born HIV-free.
    We're also making great strides in the area of prevention, thanks to 
our embrace of the principles of ABC: abstinence; be faithful; and use 
condoms. Guided by this philosophy, people are changing their behavior, 
and as they do, they're helping to turn the tide against HIV in their 
countries.
    These statistics are promising. Yet there is no way to quantify 
PEPFAR's greatest achievement: the spread of hope. Spreading hope is in 
our Nation's security interests, because the only way our enemies can 
recruit people to their dark ideology is to exploit despair. And 
spreading hope is in our moral interests, because we believe that to 
whom much is given, much is required.
    Laura and I saw the hope on our trip to Africa. I wish every single 
America [American] * could have seen the tens of thousands of people who 
lined the streets during our visit, and they were cheering and waving 
American flags in gratitude to the generosity

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of the American people. It's important for our fellow citizens to 
understand that PEPFAR is saving lives, that PEPFAR is showing the good 
heart of our Nation, that PEPFAR earns us respect and thanks around the 
world.
    * White House correction.
    We must remain vigilant in the fight against HIV/AIDS. As President 
Kikwete of Tanzania told me, he said--and told the people of his 
country: ``If this program is discontinued or disrupted, there would be 
so many people who lose hope. My passionate appeal is for PEPFAR to 
continue.''
    Well, happily, the United States Congress heard this appeal. With 
this bill, America will continue PEPFAR for another 5 years. This 
legislation will dramatically increase our financial commitment to the 
fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases. It will preserve the 
principles that have made PEPFAR a success. It will help us build on 
PEPFAR's strengths.
    The bill maintains our insistence on results and allows us to set 
new and clear goals. With this funding, we will support treatment for at 
least 3 million people. We will prevent 12 million new HIV infections 
worldwide. We will support care for 12 million people affected by HIV/
AIDS, including 5 million orphans and vulnerable children.
    This bill demonstrates our sustained commitment to strong bilateral 
partnerships. Under PEPFAR, leaders of our host countries come up with a 
strategy, a strategy aimed at--of defeating HIV with a program that 
works. They pledge to carry out the strategy with honesty. They agree to 
strong accountability measures. And once they do, the United States 
provides the money, the technology, and the expertise to make the 
strategy a success.
    The bill will help bolster multilateral efforts to combat the 
disease and make sure America's contributions are used even more 
effectively. Today, the United States is the largest contributor to the 
Global Fund to Fight AIDS and Tuberculosis and Malaria. The bill 
maintains our commitment to this program. It will bring greater 
transparency and accountability to the fund's vital work. The bill also 
demonstrates that the United States is keeping its promises to fight 
HIV/AIDS. And today America calls on other nations, particularly the G-
8, to honor the commitments they have made as well.
    The bill will expand the health care systems PEPFAR has put in 
place. Since PEPFAR began, we've helped build clinics and train health 
care workers in Africa and beyond. With this bill, we're committing to 
train at least 140,000 new health care workers to provide HIV prevention 
and treatment and care. The men and women will continue to help Africa 
curb HIV epidemics, along with many other health care challenges that 
face--that the continent faces.
    This bill will help us combat the diseases that complicate HIV/AIDS. 
It commits $4 billion to fight tuberculosis, which is the leading killer 
of Africans living with HIV. The bill also pledges an additional $5 
billion to our malaria initiative. Through this initiative, we've 
provided malaria treatment and prevention services to more than 25 
million people. We've dramatically reduced malaria in many parts of 
Africa. The additional funds in this bill will help us save even more 
lives.
    This bill will help us reduce HIV's deadly stigma, which is one of 
the greatest obstacles to defeating the epidemic. As more people get 
treatment, we will show the world that it is possible for people to live 
positively with HIV while making important contributions to their 
communities. Through this bill, the United States will also partner with 
governments around the world to ensure that reducing the stigma of HIV 
becomes a vital part of their countries' efforts to combat the pandemic.
    With this legislation, America is showing its tremendous regard for 
the dignity and worth of every human being. This afternoon, I want to 
speak directly to those around the world who have or think they may have 
HIV. A positive diagnosis does not have to be a reason for shame. So 
don't let shame keep you from getting tested or treated. Your life is 
treasured by the people who love you. It is precious in the eyes of God. 
It matters to the people of the United States.
    Defeating HIV/AIDS once and for all will require an unprecedented 
investment over generations. But it is an investment that yields the 
best possible return: save lives. One of these lives belongs to Agnes 
Nyamayarwo. Agnes lost her husband and

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son to AIDS and is HIV-positive herself. Yet with the support from 
PEPFAR, Agnes has turned her grief into action. She has traveled the 
world educating others about this disease. I want to thank you for 
coming, Agnes. Thank you for coming all the way from Uganda.

    Mohamed Kalyesubula is with us--not yet, Mohamed. [Laughter] Hold 
your applause. [Laughter] Stay right there. No, you stay--[laughter]. By 
the time Mohamed was diagnosed, he had been bedridden for an entire year 
with HIV/AIDS. His immune system was almost wiped out. Yet 
antiretroviral treatment he received at a clinic supported by PEPFAR has 
helped his health improve. He now supports six children with money he 
earns at the clinic caring for others with HIV. I met him my first trip 
to Africa shortly after his diagnosis. He told me he had a dream, which 
was to come to the White House. [Laughter] Here you are, brother. 
Welcome.

    Agnes and Mohamed are proof of what many in Africa call the Lazarus 
effect: Communities once given up for dead are brought back to life. 
Today we pray that God will comfort those who suffer and mourn. We pray 
that he will guide those who carry out this initiative's life saving 
work. And we ask for his blessings on each of you here today and the 
United States of America.

    And now it is my pleasure to sign the United States Global 
Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis Malaria Reauthorization Act of 
2008. And I do so in the memory of Henry Hyde and Tom Lantos.

Note: The President spoke at 2:57 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of 
Tanzania. H.R. 5501, approved July 30, was assigned Public Law No. 110-
293. The transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary also 
included the remarks of the First Lady.