It gives me enormous pleasure to welcome President Clinton back to Ireland. We greet him as a very close and valued friend of this country. He has earned a special place in our history and in our hearts because of his immense contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process. Bill Clinton worked tirelessly over many years to achieve lasting peace and reconciliation on this island. Inspiring and motivating all those involved in the peace process, he made an invaluable contribution to the negotiations which culminated in the Good Friday Agreement. He has remained close to the people and issues and I am delighted to have this opportunity to review recent developments with him and to share reflections on the way forward.
President Clintons visit to-day is primarily related to the leadership which he has been demonstrating on another issue, which is perhaps the greatest development challenge of the 21st century. I am referring to the global HIV/AIDS crisis.
Many of you will appreciate the extent of this humanitarian disaster. In the last year alone, over 3 million people have died of AIDS. Almost 9000 people die every day of this disease. Most of these people have lived in countries which are least able to afford effective prevention and treatment programmes.
Twenty years since AIDS was first discovered, this disease rages on. We are told by UN experts in the field that this epidemic is now only in its infancy. It is destined to get a lot worse in the years ahead.
The international community must respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis in a manner which reflects the urgency and the extent of the problem. For too long the response of donor countries, international organisations and affected countries has been too little and too late. The world is now seeing the extent of this failure.
I have been encouraged by some positive developments in the global response to the crisis. I participated in the Special Session on HIV/AIDS at the UN General Assembly in 2001, which endorsed the UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. Since that time, it has become clear that, with sufficient will and resources, the impact of this disease can be reversed. There can be no excuses for inaction. The problem is becoming more acute by the day.
I am proud that over the past four years Ireland has played a leading role in pressing for a stronger international response to the crisis. Tom Kitt is working hard with his Ministerial colleagues in the EU and elsewhere to highlight the urgent need for action. The volume of Irish Government funding committed to dealing with HIV/AIDS in the poorest countries has increased tenfold. Last year, over €40 million was spent on HIV/AIDS programmes by the Governments development cooperation programme. We are funding NGOs and missionaries, UNAIDS and the Global Fund, research into an AIDS vaccine and Government prevention programmes. All of our funding is focussed on the poorest of the poor in sub Saharan Africa, those whose lives are being decimated by the epidemic.
I want to acknowledge here the huge role President Clinton has played in accelerating the international response to the scourge of HIV/AIDS.
As President of the United States, he was instrumental in bringing the impact of HIV/AIDS to the attention of the United Nations Security Council. In the course of his many visits to Africa, he focused world attention on the impact of AIDS on the lives of individuals, families and communities. His Administration increased the levels of financial resources allocated to the prevention and care of people affected by the AIDS epidemic in poorer countries.
Since leaving Presidential office, he has demonstrated the strength of his commitment to responding to the challenge of AIDS. He has travelled extensively to countries highly affected by the epidemic. He has spoken at many international conferences on AIDS. He has given an invaluable lead to the efforts which must be undertaken at all levels globally, regionally and nationally to combat the crisis.
The President and his Foundation have a particular focus on the provision of treatment for poor people suffering from HIV/AIDS. It is simply unacceptable that millions of people are dying in Africa from AIDS when life-saving medicines are available which could offer them fresh hope, more time with their children and a new beginning.
I believe that the Foundation, building on President Clintons leadership, has the potential to make a very significant contribution to the global efforts to fight HIV/AIDS. We have had very valuable discussions with the Foundation and will support its work.
President Clinton and I will be signing an agreement in a few minutes to launch the cooperation between the Foundation and Development Cooperation Ireland, the Governments development cooperation programme.
The focus of our partnership with the Foundation will be on access to treatment for HIV/AIDS in Mozambique. Cooperation with government and other partners will be a key element. Our main objective will be to strengthen the health system in Mozambique, building on our existing country programme there, so as to increase access to anti-retroviral drugs for the treatment of people living with AIDS.
This will be a pioneering programme, developed with the expertise of the HIV/AIDS experts recruited by the Foundation and in Irelands bilateral programme in Mozambique. The funding will come from the HIV/AIDS budget within Development Cooperation Ireland which I initiated at the UN HIV/AIDS Summit in June 2001.
Poorer countries are quite rightly pressing strongly for greater access to AIDS treatment. The lower cost and greater availability of lifesaving anti-retroviral drugs now means the treatment of AIDS can become a reality for people in poorer countries.
Today only 40,000 people receive anti-retroviral treatment for AIDS in Africa although over 4 million people on this continent are in need of this treatment. Effective treatment will prolong life, halt disease progression, diminish human suffering and reduce the cost of future care.
Ireland with its EU partners has been pressing hard for an early agreement in the World Trade Organisation on the implementation of the Doha Declaration on Public Health and international law on intellectual property rights. We believe that much progress has been made on the issue and that we should aim for an agreement at the forthcoming Ministerial meeting in Cancun, at which Tom Kitt will be representing our development interests.
The introduction of treatment programmes in low-income settings is, of course, very complex. This complexity must be recognised but it must not be presented as an excuse for denying poor people access to medications which can prolong their lives.
I am delighted with the initiative which President Clinton has taken in relation to the treatment of HIV/AIDS and I have great confidence in his ability to direct international attention and effort towards this aspect of the crisis. We are very happy to be engaging in a partnership with the Clinton Foundation in this area, particularly in relation to strengthening the ability of the Government of Mozambique to increase access to treatment for HIV/AIDS. Tom Kitt and his team look forward very much to beginning this cooperation.
In his address to the International Conference on HIV/AIDS in Barcelona last year, President Clinton said: We cannot lose the war on AIDS and win our battles to reduce poverty, promote stability, advance democracy and increase peace and prosperity.
I pledge to continue to use my influence in the European Union and elsewhere to place this crisis higher up the international agenda. President Clinton has demonstrated inspiring international leadership and I will be very happy to work with him on this issue. I am delighted that he has come here today to launch this important partnership between the Government and the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Foundation as part of a joint effort to rid the world of the HIV/AIDS scourge.
Thank you.
ENDS