WASHINGTON – President Obama delivered remarks in observance of World AIDS Day 2013 on Monday, saying that it was time “to reflect on how far we’ve come since the early days of the AIDS epidemic.”
“Those of you who lived through it remember all too well the fear and the stigma, and how hard people with HIV had to fight to be seen, or heard, or to be treated with basic compassion. And you remember how little we knew about how to prevent AIDS, or how to treat it. Today, that picture is transformed.
“When I became President, I inherited President Bush’s phenomenal program, PEPFAR, which has helped millions around the world receive lifesaving treatment,” Mr. Obama said. “And we haven’t just sustained those efforts, we’ve expanded them — reaching and serving even more people, especially mothers and children. Earlier this year, PEPFAR reached a wonderful milestone — the one millionth baby born without HIV.”
President Obama also announced that the U.S. would continue its strong support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria by investing $1 for every $2 contributed to the Fund over the next three years, up to $5 billion. Monday night, Secretary of State John Kerry officially opened the Global Fund’s Replenishment Conference and challenge other donors to support the Global Fund as a critical partner in combating these three deadly diseases. Together, PEPFAR and the Global Fund account for over 90 percent of donor funding for the AIDS response in the world’s highest-burdened low- and middle-income countries.
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