On World AIDS Day, Clinton reiterates U.S. commitment to fight disease

In marking World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, Secretary Clinton emphasized that the United States is taking important steps to fight HIV/AIDS. The United States “is committed to remaining a global leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS — today, tomorrow, and every day until the disease is eradicated,” she said in a statement, the full text of which follows below.

On World AIDS Day, we take time to remember those who have been lost to this devastating disease, and recommit ourselves to saving as many lives as we can, now and in the future. This December 1, World AIDS Day is also an opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved. We have saved millions of lives from AIDS over the past decade. By investing in what we know works, we can save millions more in the future.

The Obama administration has made the fight against AIDS central to the Global Health Initiative, our commitment to strengthening global health systems and implementing sustainable solutions to improve the health of entire communities. One major focus of the Global Health Initiative is strengthening our partnerships around the world so they reflect and reinforce the global effort needed to defeat AIDS. This year, the United States also made its first multi-year pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria to further support this cooperative approach. Our metric for success is simple: lives saved.

Through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), we are making smart investments that will ultimately help bring us closer to a world free of HIV/AIDS. We work with dedicated organizations and individuals every day to make this goal a reality. The struggle is far from over, but the United States is committed to remaining a global leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS — today, tomorrow, and every day until the disease is eradicated. That is our obligation and our promise to the millions of souls around the planet living with HIV/AIDS.

In the photo above, AIDS activists in Zhengzhou, China, pose with a giant red ribbon to mark World AIDS Day. In the photo below, a red AIDS ribbon hangs in Clinton’s neck of the woods at the White House in Washington.