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China Urges Global Political Commitment in Fighting AIDS
China on Friday called upon the international community to show political commitment and pledge financial support in fighting the global epidemic HIV/AIDS.
Addressing a plenary meeting of the 55th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Chinese delegate Huang Xueqi said the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS was a global public health and social problem.
The epidemic had caused heavy social burdens in many developing countries, triggering serious crises in Africa, where the gains of economic development could be wiped out if the international community did not take immediate action, Huang said.
The international community should not feel helpless before the epidemic because there were international organizations, particularly the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), which had taken significant action to combat the pandemic, Huang said.
The global spread of HIV/AIDS required the mobilization of international forces to work together to battle the disease and it was necessary to take measures to resolve the problem, the delegate said.
He said the decision by the United Nations General Assembly to convene a special session on AIDS would raise the awareness and strengthen political will in this regard.
The United Nations General Assembly decided Friday to convene a special session on June 25-27, 2001 with the aim of securing a global commitment to intensifying efforts to combat the epidemic.
Among the topics the special session will discuss are HIV/AIDS in Africa, international funding and cooperation, the social and economic impact of the epidemic and human rights considerations.
According to the resolution, the special session should also address the stigma related to AIDS and its impact on women and girls. In addition, it should tackle the problem of access to drugs and other treatment as well as scientific research and the development of vaccines.
According to the latest figures from UNAIDS, close to 19 million people have died of AIDS to date.
An estimated 34.3 million people are now living with HIV that causes AIDS, and last year alone 5.4 million were newly infected.
In 16 African nations, more than 10 percent of the population between the age of 15 to 49 are infected, with devastating economic and social effects, UNAIDS says.
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