BAN CALLS FOR SCALED-UP EFFORTS TO COMBAT HIV/AIDS

BAN CALLS FOR SCALED-UP EFFORTS TO COMBAT HIV/AIDS New York, Aug 4 2008 9:00AM Addressing the world's largest forum on HIV/AIDS, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged bolstered efforts to tackle the pandemic, stressing how the virus impedes development.

"Most countries still have a long way to go to meet the goal" set two years ago at the General Assembly to move towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010, Mr. Ban said last night at the opening of the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

These nations will thus have difficulty in reaching the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of curbing and reversing the spread of AIDS by the target date of 2015, he noted.

The Secretary-General stressed that greater resources are needed to combat the scourge in the coming decades as greater numbers of people receive treatment and live longer.

He welcomed the recent legislation passed in the United States earmarking $48 billion to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria over the next five years, and praised the commitment of the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialized nations to provide universal access to HIV prevention and treatment by 2010.

"Just as important, in most countries, stigma against people living with HIV remains a grave challenge," Mr. Ban told the Conference. One third of countries lack laws to protect those living with HIV, and in many places, discrimination against women, men, who have sex with men, sex workers, drug users and ethnic minorities is still legal.

"This must change," he said, calling for an end to discrimination against people living HIV and members of vulnerable groups.

Since taking up the post in January 2007, the Secretary-General said that some of his most moving and inspiring experiences have been meeting with colleagues and others living with the virus.

"They are wonderfully courageous and motivated people, and should serve as an example to us all on how to act with dignity in the face of adversity," he said. "That they should be discriminated against, including through restrictions on their ability to travel between countries, should fill us with shame."

In those nations with legal protections in place, Mr. Ban pointed out that those living with HIV have greater access to services, resulting in fewer infections, less demand for anti-retroviral treatment and fewer deaths.

While at the Conference, he is expected to meet with world leaders, people living with HIV and community groups.

During his three-day visit to Mexico that kicked off on Sunday, he will hold talks with Mexican President Felipe Calderón and with Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa Cantellano.

Mr. Ban also plans to address a joint session of the Mexican Senate and Chamber of Deputies, as well as confer with authorities on climate change and meet with business leaders through the UN Global Compact's Mexico network.
2008-08-04 00:00:00.000

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