SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS GLOBAL AIDS CRISIS DEMANDS MORE EFFECTIVE PUBLIC POLICY RESPONSE

27 November 1996

Press Release
SG/SM/6115

SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS GLOBAL AIDS CRISIS DEMANDS MORE EFFECTIVE PUBLIC POLICY RESPONSE

19961127 Message on Occasion of AIDS Day -- 1 December -- Notes Special Challenge in Developing Countries, Key United Nations Role

This is the text of a message from Secretary-General Boutros Boutros- Ghali to mark the observance on Sunday (1 December) of World AIDS Day:

Today, the international community rededicates itself to fighting the worldwide scourge of HIV/AIDS, to combating fear, ignorance and prejudice, and to providing new hope for the millions of people around the world living with HIV.

HIV/AIDS is a global problem. No country or region is immune. Today, some 22 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, while the total number of worldwide AIDS-related deaths has reached 6 million. These are appalling statistics, but there is nothing inevitable about the global spread of HIV.

In the developed world, the success of prevention and sex education programmes, and awareness campaigns among intravenous drug users, have demonstrated that rates of HIV infection can begin to be arrested and addressed with positive results. In the developing world, the challenge remains greater. Over 90 per cent of all new HIV infections occur here, and programmes to prevent the spread of the infection have so far met with limited success. In addition, new anti-viral therapies and treatments remain extremely costly and beyond the means of the vast majority of AIDS sufferers in the developing world.

The United Nations has taken a lead in promoting vital education and prevention programmes, and is working closely with Member States and local populations on the ground. The Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS, launched on 1 January 1996, marks an important step forward in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. The Programme, in partnership with Member States, is working hard to promote greater cooperation and coordination in the field, and to develop new policy initiatives and mobilize new resources at the global, regional and country levels.

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Above all, this initiative emphasizes the growing partnership between the United Nations system and individual people living with HIV. The Programme seeks to be inclusive in its dealings with affected communities and individuals throughout the world.

The challenge of World AIDS Day is to translate understanding and awareness of HIV/AIDS into positive action and a more effective and coordinated public policy response around the world. Today, more than ever, the global challenge of HIV/AIDS demands an informed, considered and generous response from us all.

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