We are here today to mark World AIDS Day 2006.
Each year on 1 December, the world comes together in solidarity with the millions of men, women and children who are living with HIV. We remember the millions who have died of AIDS related illnesses. And we remember our obligation to act now and to live up to the ambitious international commitments we have made.
I would like to extend a warm welcome to Stephen Lewis – the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on AIDS in Africa. Stephen is world renowned for the work he is doing on HIV/AIDS. He is a passionate advocate for the rights and needs of children and women.
The theme of World AIDS Day this year is Accountability. This is a day for us to take account of our responsibilities in regard to HIV/AIDS and our duty to increase public awareness of the problem of HIV/AIDS worldwide.
Ireland has more than lived up to its international commitments on HIV/AIDS. Since I first addressed the UN General Assembly on this issue in 2001, we have spent over €250 million to help address the global HIV pandemic.
We have also pledged that from this year forward, our spending on HIV and other communicable diseases will be at least €100 million annually.
Our new White Paper on Development Co-operation launched recently recognises the central importance of combating HIV/AIDS to the reduction of poverty and vulnerability. The White Paper commits the Government to ensuring a strong and resourced response to the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.
It further commits us to address the increasing feminisation of the epidemic and to spend up to 20% of the increased resources on interventions that will benefit children.
I recently signed a new agreement with President Clinton that will bring an additional €70 million to scaling up HIV prevention, treatment and care programmes in Mozambique and Lesotho – two of the most affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa – over the next five years. These programmes will address the needs of those most affected and will particularly benefit women and children.
I know that Stephen Lewis has a particular interest in Lesotho. I have seen for myself the challenges that face the people and Government of Lesotho when I visited there at the beginning of this Millennium and witnessed the tremendous work being carried out there by Irish Aid.
With almost one in four adults testing positive, HIV is presenting a huge challenge to this small mountain kingdom. The work of the United Nations here is critical and we are keen to support a strengthening of coordination to ensure that resources are spent effectively and reach those individuals who most need them.
Earlier this year I attended the UN High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS. In my address to the General Assembly, I acknowledged the need to address the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV.
The fear and lack of understanding surrounding HIV acts as a barrier for people to access prevention, treatment and care services even when they are available. Stigma and discrimination is a recognised factor in the increasing spread of HIV.
We must all work together to make our societies more open and caring, more inclusive and less judgmental.
At that UN High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, I announced that we would start at home with this issue with a National Campaign to help combat stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV in Ireland.
I am particularly pleased to be in a position today to announce that this campaign will take place during 2007 as a collaborative initiative between the Department of Health and Children, the Department of Foreign Affairs and a Multi Stakeholder Forum of civil society organisations working in the area of HIV/AIDS both here and in developing countries.
The key principles of this campaign will be to ensure that responses are planned to meet the needs of people living with HIV; to tackle HIV related stigma and discrimination; and to promote a greater understanding of HIV in Ireland.
HIV/AIDS is a global issue. It respects no borders. The Multi Stakeholder Forum is a positive example of Government working with civil society. The Forum brings together organisations that are working internationally with those working in Ireland to focus on an issue that knows no boundaries.
We are all collectively responsible for ensuring that we do every thing in our power to stop the scourge of AIDS. I would like to commend one Irish man in particular who has taken this responsibility seriously and has put all his focus and energy into fighting HIV/AIDS.
Professor Michael Kelly S.J. has lived and worked in Zambia for over 50 years. He has witnessed at first hand the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS and has made a tremendous contribution to the fight against HIV in Africa.
His message, that education is the most effective ‘social vaccine’ in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and in addressing HIV related stigma is having far reaching implications in Africa and has informed the Irish Government’s policy on HIV. He is here with us today and his work will be celebrated in an inaugural lecture hosted by the Government this evening. Both Stephen Lewis and Professor Kelly will address this lecture.
Ireland will continue to take its responsibilities seriously – both on the domestic front and internationally. The fight against HIV/AIDS remains one of the greatest challenges of our generation. I can assure you that my Government will remain fully committed to staying at the forefront of the global response to HIV/AIDS.
World AIDS Day is a particular opportunity each year to remember that 40 million people worldwide live with HIV every day. It is a day when we renew our determination to do everything we can to combat the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.
I look forward to this National Awareness Campaign and to it promoting our greater understanding of the issues involved and, in particular, the importance of combating both the stigma associated with HIV and discrimination against those living with HIV in Ireland.
Thank you.
ENDS