World AIDS Day: 'Voices of Hope' (VIDEO)

World AIDS Day: "Voices of Hope", FULL STREAMING VIDEO, This film depicts the impact of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Emergency Plan/PEPFAR) -- a five year, $15 billion, multifaceted approach to combating HIV/AIDS in more than 120 countries around the world. PDF of Poster

As President Bush has said: "This effort is succeeding because America is providing resources and Africans are providing leadership. Local health officials set the strategy and we're supporting them." In partnership with the people of host nations, the Emergency Plan is supporting them in meeting the needs of their nations in a way that is (1) successful and (2) sustainable. This success and sustainability are bringing new hope for the future.

Statement on World AIDS Day, Secretary Condoleezza Rice, Dead Sea, Jordan, December 1, 2006

On this World AIDS Day, we mourn the more than 25 million people who have died from AIDS in our world, and we remember the over 39 million people who are currently living with HIV. It is also a time for the world community to come together in commitment to the promise of partnerships that are creating new hope. President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is making great strides as a result of partnerships with people in communities around the world. Success is possible only where there is leadership and commitment by governmental and non-governmental sectors in host nations, and it is exciting to see the growing leadership and commitment to fighting AIDS in hard-hit nations.

Creating a world free of HIV is one of the great moral callings of our time and one that requires a global response. On this World AIDS Day, I commend the people who are leading the fight in their nations and communities, and I especially call on the world community to rededicate efforts to prevent stigma and discrimination against people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. The American people stand with the people of the world in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

2006/T26-9, Released on December 1, 2006

World AIDS Day, 2006: A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

HIV/AIDS is a global health crisis and a constant struggle for many of our families, friends, and neighbors. On World AIDS Day, we underscore our commitment to fight the AIDS pandemic with compassion and decisive action.

America leads the world in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and through the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief we are combating the disease in countries around the world. Through the New Partners Initiative, we are supporting faith-based and community organizations that offer much of the health care in the developing world, so that we can reach more people more effectively. In addition, the United States and other concerned countries are promoting a comprehensive strategy to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. This includes the ABC approach encouraging abstinence, being faithful, and using condoms, with abstinence as the only sure way to avoid the sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS.

As we work to fight HIV/AIDS globally, we must also ensure our citizens at home have the resources and support they need for treatment and prevention of this disease. Today, more than 1 million Americans are living with HIV/AIDS, and many of these individuals are unaware that they are infected. We will continue to provide medical care, counseling, and testing for those in greatest need of HIV/AIDS assistance, and I have asked the Congress to reform and reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act and provide new funding to improve distribution of HIV/AIDS medicines in America. The Federal Government is also working closely with faith-based and other community organizations to provide services to individuals with HIV/AIDS and end the stigma of AIDS.

America is blessed with scientific knowledge and compassionate citizens, and we are guided by our founding conviction that each life has matchless value. On World AIDS Day and throughout the year, we stand with our friends and partners around the world in the urgent struggle to fight this virus, comfort those who are affected, and save lives.

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, 2006, 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 appropriate activities to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS, to work to prevent this deadly disease, and to comfort and support those living with HIV/AIDS.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

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