Ráðstefna Sameinuðu þjóðanna um HIV/AIDS haldin í New York í september.
Minister of Health and Social Security, Iceland
GENERAL ASSEMBLY – FIFTY-EIGHT SESSION
High-level plenary meeting
Follow-up to the outcome of the twenty-sixth special session: implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS
22 September 2003.
High-level plenary meeting
Follow-up to the outcome of the twenty-sixth special session: implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS
22 September 2003.
Mr. President, Secretary-General, dear colleagues and other delegates.
Iceland welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on the progress towards the implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS.
In Iceland the fight against HIV/AIDS is integrated into the fight against all sexually transmitted diseases. During the last decade the incidence of HIV has gradually been reduced among Icelanders. Contrary to most countries of the world AIDS is rarely seen in our country nowadays due to effective and readily available treatment. At the same time there has been an increase in the proportion of HIV infection among immigrants to Iceland. This shows clearly that no country is unaffected by the global burden of HIV infection.
Globally, the HIV / AIDS epidemic is an enormous ongoing burden to humanity. For the last 2 decades, the epidemic has spread all across the world. Over 20 million people have died as a result of AIDS. Presently more than 40 million people, men, women and children are living with HIV / AIDS. Over ten million children are orphans as a result of this epidemic. Last year alone an estimated 5 million people became HIV infected, among them 800 000 children. More than 3 million people died last year due to this epidemic. Hitherto the worst hit region of the world has been Sub-Saharan Africa. Many other regions are of special concern, such as Eastern Europe, Asia and India.
The governments of all countries must speed up and strengthen long-term plans designed to reduce the social and financial impact of the epidemic. They need to support all activities to achieve the goals set out in the Declaration of Commitment on HIV / AIDS for the fight against the epidemic. They need to take steps to improve the position of social classes which are disadvantaged and therefore at a greater risk of infection. They need to ensure access to treatment and care for all those who need it. They need to encourage the development of drugs and vaccines against HIV infection. And they need to ensure the availability of sufficient resources for the campaign against the AIDS epidemic.
Mr. President, Iceland will work for the commitments set out in the Declaration of Commitment that are to be met by year 2005 and year 2010. Iceland is at present working to meet these goals through its International Development Agency, through its participation on the Executive Board of WHO, and by supporting the initiative of the Council of the Baltic Sea States on Communicable Disease Control in the Baltic Sea Region. Iceland has also committed itself to donating 15 million Icelandic kronas to the Global Fund on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.
Mr. President, I do believe that we can turn the tide by a combined effort of all nations in the battle against HIV /AIDS. A combined effort using prevention, care and treatment for those already infected.
Thank you