Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 2069 – the Global Access to HIV/AIDS Prevention, Awareness, Education and Treatment Act. I commend Chairman Hyde and Ranking Member Lantos, as well as Representatives Barbara Lee and Jim Leach, for their leadership on this issue. As we respond to the challenges that have emerged since September 11th, we must not forget that nearly 8,000 people die from AIDS each day. The United States must take the lead in the global effort to end the global AIDS pandemic and the havoc it is creating in the developing world. Halting this crisis cannot happen without new resources, and the additional bilateral and multilateral funds included in this bill are an important step forward.
The social, economic, security and human costs of this crisis are devastating entire nations. For example, projections show that by 2010 South Africa’s GDP will be 17 percent below where it would have been without AIDS, and the United Nations has estimated that AIDS could kill up to 26 percent of the labor force in the hardest hit African countries by 2020. India already has more infected people than any other nation, and experts are predicting that without significant prevention and treatment efforts the number of Indians living with HIV/AIDS could surpass the combined number of cases in all African countries within two decades.
Developing countries will be unable to turn the tide on this epidemic if even the most basic health care is unavailable for most of their citizens. People must be educated about HIV and how to prevent its spread. Increased testing and counseling opportunities are desperately needed. Basic care and treatment that can be delivered in homes or makeshift clinics is essential. And the need for support for the growing number of children orphaned by AIDS looms large.
We know that prevention and treatment work. Comprehensive prevention efforts have turned around HIV epidemics in Uganda and Thailand, and averted an epidemic in Senegal. In a small village in Haiti, community health workers have been trained to deliver high quality care, including the advanced medicines used to treat AIDS in our country. The provisions of H.R. 2069 will help impoverished countries expand and replicate effective programs, and strengthen the capacity of indigenous health care systems to deliver HIV/AIDS pharmaceuticals.
Our investment in the fight against the global AIDS pandemic not only has a direct impact, but it also promises to leverage significant funds from other countries and multilateral institutions. Specifically, the $750 million authorized for multilateral assistance will demonstrate this country’s dedication to the new United Nations Global Fund, and other international efforts. Fighting AIDS requires a real, sustained commitment, and the money we provide is a signal to other nations that we will do our part.
The fight ahead of us against the global AIDS pandemic is a long one. We have no choice but to engage in the fight and to prevail. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2069.