Plenary speech at XVIII International

Distinguished guests, colleagues and friends, good morning. I thank the local organizing committee of the 8th ICAAP for this opportunity to stand before you once again and to look at how we are progressing after the Kobe ICAAP.Meeting two years after the Kobe Conference presents a good opportunity to take stock of the situation and to look ahead at the enormous challenges we are facing in the region in combating the AIDS epidemic.

I am deeply honored to address the Central Party School and thank Vice President Li Junru for inviting me to join you this afternoon to talk about AIDS. I want to start by commending the School for its AIDS programme. Your achievements in integrating AIDS education into your curriculum and using distance learning methodologies to disseminate them are remarkable.

In much of the world, the HIV epidemic among drug users is long-standing. But in some places it is newly emerging. In East Africa, HIV transmission due to drug use is rising. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia we are seeing a new upturn in infections in some countries of the region―a new generation of drug injectors is going through the same pattern of HIV spread as the previous generation. We must focus our efforts on stopping this chain of transmission. Above all, that means making it safer for those who are use drugs. This is harm reduction, and it is an effective and important form of HIV prevention and a key component of our pledge for Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

This region is experiencing a level of economic growth that no one could have predicted even 12 to 15 years ago. This change is calling for a new kind of global governance, which must be undertaken with a spirit that will help us to share responsibility; to build on our shared values. This means protecting people—making sure that the rights of those who need services will not be marginalized or neglected.

UNAIDS’ vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths is not about “absolute zero.” It is a journey that leads us to social justice and to greater distribution of opportunity for people who are not lucky.