UNAIDS Welcomes United States Senate Committee Action To Renew Global AIDS Programme

Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Article Date: 14 Mar 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS commends the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee approval of the "Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde Global Leadership on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008." The United States leadership role in the global response to AIDS is critical and today's action demonstrates the U.S. commitment to this effort.

Both the Senate and House bills now contain key principles for reauthorization including promoting a truly global effort supported by bold new investments; moving from an "emergency" to a "sustainability" strategy; and maximizing effectiveness of investments through partnership and coordination.

Continued investments are crucial as we witness real progress from current and past investments. New HIV infections can be prevented if the world remains committed to scaling up essential HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support efforts globally.

Yet, we are still faced with the serious fact that more than 32 million people are infected with HIV worldwide. The global commitment to AIDS has never been more important and UNAIDS hopes that the U.S. Congress continues to work in a bipartisan manner on this important legislation.

UNAIDS is an innovative joint venture of the United Nations, bringing together the efforts and resources of the UNAIDS Secretariat and ten UN system organizations in the AIDS response. The Secretariat headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland-with staff on the ground in more than 80 countries. Coherent action on AIDS by the UN system is coordinated in countries through UN theme groups, and joint programmes on AIDS. UNAIDS' cosponsors include UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank. Visit the UNAIDS Web site at http://www.unaids.org