Government leaders make statements in recognition of World AIDS Day

A number of government leaders made statements on Thursday in recognition of World AIDS Day. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a press statement said, "We have come a long way in the fight against AIDS, but there is still a long road ahead to realize our ambitious goals. If we continue to work together and coordinate a global effort guided by science, we may one day live in an AIDS-free generation" (12/1). In a post on the White House Blog, Gayle Smith, special assistant to the President, and U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby write, "As President Obama made clear, the fight against global AIDS is a shared responsibility, not one the U.S. can meet alone. … As we move forward, we will work with a growing number of partners as the global community joins the U.S. in a heightened focus on this fight" (12/1).

In a Huffington Post opinion piece, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah writes, "Today, as we once again mark World AIDS Day, we should do so knowing the world finally has the ability to create a future without AIDS." He adds, "To realize the future of an AIDS-free generation, we have to strategically focus our efforts on proven, cost-effective ways to fight against HIV/AIDS: stopping mother-to-child transmission, expanding voluntary medical male circumcision, supporting community adherence and investing in new biomedical tools" (12/1).