Pres. Obama proclaims Dec. 1 World AIDS Day

• BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  A PROCLAMATION

  Thirty-five years ago the first documented cases of AIDS

  brought about an era of uncertainty, fear, and discrimination.

  HIV/AIDS has taken tens of millions of lives -- and far too many

  people with HIV have struggled to get the care, treatment, and

  compassion they deserve. But in the decades since those first

  cases, with ingenuity, leadership, research, and historic

  investments in evidence-based practices, we have begun to move

  toward an era of resilience and hope -- and we are closer than

  ever to reaching an AIDS-free generation. On World AIDS Day, we

  join with the international community to remember those we have

  lost too soon, reflect on the tremendous progress we have made

  in battling this disease, and carry forward our fight against

  HIV/AIDS.

  By shining a light on this issue and educating more

  communities about the importance of testing and treatment, we

  have saved and improved lives. Although we have come far in

  recent decades, our work is not yet done and the urgency to

  intervene in this epidemic is critical. In the United States,

  more than 1.2 million people are living with HIV. Gay and

  bisexual men, transgender people, youth, black and Latino

  Americans, people living in the Southern United States, and

  people who inject drugs are at a disproportionate risk. People

  living with HIV can face stigma and discrimination, creating

  barriers to prevention and treatment services.

  My Administration has made significant efforts to fight

  HIV/AIDS, including by encouraging treatment as prevention,

  expanding access to pre-exposure prophylaxis, eliminating

  waiting lists for medication assistance programs, and working

  toward a vaccine. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, no one can

  be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions like HIV, and

  millions of people can now access quality, affordable health

  insurance plans that cover important services like HIV testing

  and screening. In 2010, I introduced the first comprehensive

  National HIV/AIDS Strategy in the United States, and last year,

  through an Executive Order, I updated it to serve as a guiding

  path to 2020. This update builds on the primary goals of the

  original Strategy, including reducing the number of HIV-infected

  individuals and HIV-related health disparities, improving health

  outcomes for anyone living with HIV and increasing their access

  to care, and strengthening our coordinated national response

  to this epidemic.
• Currently, more than 36 million people, including

  1.8 million children, are living with HIV/AIDS across the

  globe, and the majority of people living with HIV reside in low-

  to middle-income countries. We need to do more to reach those

  who are at risk for contracting HIV/AIDS, and the United States

  is helping shape the world's response to this crisis and working

  alongside the international community to end this epidemic by

  2030. We have strengthened and expanded the President's

  Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), with now more than

  $70 billion invested, to accelerate our progress and work to

  control this epidemic with comprehensive and data-focused

  efforts. With PEPFAR support for more than 11 million people on

  life-saving treatment and through contributions to the Global

  Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria -- including a new

  pledge of more than $4 billion through 2019 -- there are now

  more than 18 million people getting HIV treatment and care.

  Because in sub-Saharan Africa young women and adolescent girls

  are over eight times more likely to get HIV/AIDS than young men,

  we launched a comprehensive prevention program to reduce HIV

  infections among this population in 10 sub-Saharan African

  countries. This summer, PEPFAR established an innovative

  investment fund to expand access to quality HIV/AIDS services

  for key populations affected by the epidemic and reduce the

  stigma and discrimination that persists. We have also helped

  prevent millions of new infections worldwide, including in more

  than 1.5 million babies of HIV-positive mothers who were born

  free of HIV. By translating groundbreaking research and

  scientific tools into action, for the first time we are seeing

  early but promising signs of controlling the spread of HIV.

  Accelerating the progress we have made will require

  sustained commitment and passion from every sector of society

  and across every level of government around the world. A future

  where no individual has to suffer from HIV/AIDS is within our

  reach, and today, we recommit to ensuring the next generation

  has the tools they need to continue fighting this disease. Let

  us strive to support all people living with HIV/AIDS and

  rededicate ourselves to ending this epidemic once and for all.

  Together, we can achieve what once seemed impossible and give

  more people the chance at a longer, brighter, AIDS-free future.

  NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the

  United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in

  me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do

  hereby proclaim December 1, 2016, as World AIDS Day. I urge

  the Governors of the States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,

  officials of the other territories subject to the jurisdiction

  of the United States, and the American people to join me in

  appropriate activities to remember those who have lost their

  lives to AIDS and to provide support and compassion to those

  living with HIV.

  IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

  thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord

  two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the

  United States of America the two hundred and forty-first.

  BARACK OBAMA