*EPF314 07/16/2003
Text: U.S. Health Secretary Says "All of Us Are Soldiers" Against Disease
(Thompson opens meeting on global disease fund) (1310)
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson described "a worldwide battle against disease in which all of us are soldiers," as he opened an international meeting July 16 on the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Thompson emphasized the need for innovation and flexibility in the development of new counter-disease strategies and institutions. He also said that a "multiplicity of coordinated programs" is the most likely means to develop "best practices" against disease. The U.S. official, who also serves this year as chairman of the Global Fund, said it "represents a crucial leg of the tripod of domestic, bilateral and global programs that form an integrated campaign against HIV/AIDS."
As he opened the meeting in Paris, Thompson linked global strategies against disease to the goals outlined last year at the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
"In our view, all our efforts to combat the AIDS pandemic, including through the Global Fund, will work best in countries that invest in their people, adopt sound economic policies and rule justly," Thompson said.
Following is the text of Thompson's remarks as prepared for delivery:
(begin text)
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson
Welcoming Remarks
International Meeting to Support the Global Fund
Paris, France
July 16, 2003
Bonjour. My friends, thank you so very much for traveling from your many countries to join us here in the wonderful city of Paris to discuss the mission and the means of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
I want to begin by thanking our hosts, the government of France and the French people. The United States and France share a long history and are united by certain common values. We have secured and defended one another's liberty. And we have marched forward together in the cause of science and public health.
I want to especially thank Ministers Mattéi and Wiltzer, who have shown us such generosity in sharing their constructive thoughts and ideas in the past few days. France's willingness to convene and host this conference, combined with President Chirac's recent commitment to substantively increase France's monetary contribution to the global anti-AIDS effort, truly demonstrate its dedication to the cause of the Global Fund.
I know that every one of you here shares this dedication. As 2003 Chair of the Board of the Fund, it is indeed my privilege to work with men and women of such passion and compassion. The people of the world who suffer from AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria need us, my friends. They need us ... they need the resources we can bring to bear ... and we must not fail them.
Our sense of duty and humanity demands no less.
As we enter into this day of discussions, there are several points I would like our participants to keep in mind.
--First, we must be aware that all new strategies and institutions established to combat HIV/AIDS must reflect the nature of the disease and pandemic they are created to defeat. They must be global ... yet they must adapt to local conditions ... and most importantly, they must be innovative and flexible. We cannot afford to let our efforts be any less adaptable than the diseases they fight.
--Second, a multiplicity of coordinated programs ���� rather than a single central program ���� is more likely to produce the discovery of appropriate "best practices" against HIV/AIDS. Therefore, we must firmly commit ourselves and our nations to the independent need for robust anti-HIV/AIDS budgets at the national level and in bilateral foreign assistance.
--Finally, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria represents a crucial leg of the tripod of domestic, bilateral and global programs that form an integrated campaign against HIV/AIDS. Unless domestic and international efforts are integrated into a global effort, little progress will be made against the disease. The Global Fund cannot succeed in isolation.
Let me reiterate: The Fund cannot survive in isolation. That doesn't just mean complementing the work of governments ���� that means complementing and partnering with the work of civil society, of businesses, of churches, and of every community organization right down to the lowest possible level. We absolutely must look beyond our own work and see the big picture ���� a worldwide battle against disease in which all of us are soldiers.
And let me especially call on every business, every corporation, and every private entity that isn't already engaged in this battle ���� we need you to enlist. Your help ... your compassion ... and your insights are indispensable to victory. Not just crucial ���� indispensable. This problem is bigger than any one of us ... but it is not bigger than all of us.
I'm not just 2003 Chair of the Fund Board. I also have the privilege of serving as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. As such, I'm proud to note that the United States is fully committed to the battle against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. President George W. Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is a critical, unprecedented effort that will attack the AIDS epidemic where it is most virulent. And the U.S. is by far the single largest donor to the Global Fund.
That's a tangible, demonstrated, clear commitment. Let me give you an example of the achievements we can create by working together. At last year's World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), the international community agreed to a plan of action to address basic human needs through sustainable development. Health is a major part of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and, in launching a partnership on fighting infectious disease at WSSD, we emphasized our commitment to working closely with a wide array of partners in addressing this issue.
This Administration strongly believes in action through partnerships and in the importance of creating the enabling environment to help people realize their highest aspirations for econmomic growth and development. In our view, all of our efforts to combat the AIDS pandemic, including through the Global Fund, will work best in countries that invest in their people, adopt sound economic policies, and rule justly.
So, we are engaged ���� and we will stay engaged. We also have a clear vision of what the Fund can achieve and how it should achieve it.
The United States is committed to maintaining a fundamentally innovative and independent approach in the operation of the Fund. Partnering is critical to the process by which the Global Fund identifies programs to be funded, and development of effective national and regional plans to combat HIV/AIDS is central to that process. Further, fostering public-private partnerships and developing relationships with faith-based organizations should be a critical goal of Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) and will be viewed as one indicator of success by the United States.
One of the central goals of projects funded through the Global Fund should be to provide for a continuum of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment. It is clear that this tripartite approach is synergistic, with prevention programs becoming more effective as care and treatment become more available and successful.
At base, the key functions of the Global Fund should be to mobilize new funds and to augment existing programs, all guided by overriding medical and public health expertise. We need everyone's involvement to make this happen.
My friends, I am so happy to see you all here. We're going to have a tremendous day of discussion. When it's over, I want to remind all of you that these meetings will only have a lasting effect if we are vigorous and diligent in our follow-ups. We have traveled a long way ... let's make it count.
Once again, welcome.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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