ONE Commends Administration’s “March Toward an AIDS-Free Generation”

Washington, DC – Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented the Obama Administration’s vision of an AIDS-free generation during remarks at the National Institutes of Health.  Sheila Nix, U.S. Executive Director of ONE, issued the following statement in response to those remarks:

“We are pleased that the Obama Administration has embraced the very real possibility of an AIDS-free generation as a clear policy priority. As Secretary Clinton said, it will be one of ‘the greatest gifts we can give to our collective future.’

“As we approach World AIDS Day – and the International Aids Conference to be held in Washington next summer – it was inspiring for the Secretary to put the bold support of the United States Government behind such a goal.  With continued American support of PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the goal can become the world’s reality.

“We agree with Secretary Clinton that to sit on the sidelines is wrong – that we must all do what we can to achieve what was unachievable just a few short years ago. Her announcement that $60 million is being reprogrammed to do “combination prevention” in four African countries is a solid step, which we support.

“We know there are enormous challenges ahead.  But we have faced enormous challenges with this pandemic for the past 30 years and have overcome so many of them.  Under President George W. Bush, the United States became the leader in fighting this disease in the developing world through the life-saving work of PEPFAR and the Global Fund.   At ONE, we and our 2.5 million members are heartened that the Obama Administration has outlined a vision for taking this battle to a new level, made possible through game-changing scientific advances.  Now, we need to see this vision translated into a bold, new global plan of action.

“As the Obama Administration ramps up the battle against HIV/AIDS, we encourage the President to commit to the following:

• Carrying out the global plan to prevent mother-to-child transmission so no child is born with HIV by 2015
• 15×15: ensure that 15 million HIV-positive people are on treatment by 2015
• A drastic reduction in the rate of new HIV infections

“If the President – and then the Congress – will commit to these three goals and leverage international support, we will all be able to see the beginning of the end of AIDS by 2015.”