World AIDS Day, 2015

Proclamation 9374 of November 30, 2015

World AIDS Day, 2015

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

More than three decades ago, the first known cases of
HIV/AIDS sparked an epidemic in the United States--
ushering in a time defined by how little we knew about
it and in which those affected by it faced fear and
stigmatization. We have made extraordinary progress in
the fight against HIV since that time, but much work
remains to be done. On World AIDS Day, we remember
those who we have lost to HIV/AIDS, celebrate the
triumphs earned through the efforts of scores of
advocates and providers, pledge our support for those
at risk for or living with HIV, and rededicate our
talents and efforts to achieving our goal of an AIDS-
free generation.

Today, more people are receiving life-saving treatment
for HIV than ever before, and millions of HIV
infections have been prevented. Still, more than 36
million people around the world live with HIV--
including nearly 3 million children. My Administration
is committed to ending the spread of HIV and improving
the lives of all who live with it. In the United
States, the Affordable Care Act has allowed more people
to access coverage for preventive services like HIV
testing, and new health plans are now required to offer
HIV screening with no cost sharing. Insurance companies
can no longer discriminate against individuals living
with HIV/AIDS or any other pre-existing condition.
Additionally, this year marks the 25th anniversary of
the Ryan White CARE Act, which established the Ryan
White Program--a program that helps provide needed care
to the most vulnerable individuals and touches over
half of all people living with HIV in America.

To further our fight to end the HIV epidemic, my
Administration released our country's first
comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy in 2010. The
Strategy provided a clear framework for changing the
way we talk about HIV, and it offered a critical
roadmap that prioritizes our Nation's response to this
epidemic and organizes the ways we deliver HIV
services. Earlier this year, I signed an Executive
Order to update the Strategy through 2020, focusing on
expanding HIV testing and care, widening support for
those living with HIV to stay in comprehensive care,
promoting universal viral suppression among individuals
infected with HIV, and increasing access to preventive
measures, including pre-exposure prophylaxis for people
at substantial risk of acquiring HIV.

Additionally, the primary aims of the Strategy include
reducing HIV-related disparities and health inequities,
because HIV still affects specific populations
disproportionately across our country. Certain
individuals--including gay and bisexual men, Black
women and men, Latinos and Latinas, people who inject
drugs, transgender women, young people, and people in
the Southern United States--are at greater risk for
HIV, and we must target our efforts to reduce HIV-
related health disparities and focus increased
attention on highly vulnerable populations. My most
recent Federal budget proposal includes more than $31
billion in funding for HIV/AIDS treatment, care,
prevention, and research. We are also making great
progress toward achieving a greater viral suppression
rate among those diagnosed with HIV, and in the last 5
years, we have made critical funding increases to
ensure more Americans have access to life-saving
treatment.

We cannot achieve an AIDS-free generation without
addressing the pervasive presence of HIV throughout the
world, which is why our Nation is committed to
achieving the goals laid out in the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development to reach more people living
with HIV, promote global health, and end the AIDS
epidemic. The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief (PEPFAR) has helped save lives across the globe
and has made significant impacts on the number of new
HIV infections by strengthening international
partnerships and expanding essential services for
preventing and treating HIV. This year, I announced new
targets for PEPFAR that aim to provide almost 13
million people with life-saving treatment by the end of
2017. The United States is also committing resources to
support PEPFAR's work to achieve a 40 percent decrease
in HIV incidence among young women and girls in the
most vulnerable areas of sub-Saharan Africa. This is a
shared responsibility, and America will remain a leader
in the effort to end HIV/AIDS while continuing to work
with the international community to address this
challenge and secure a healthier future for all people.

Working with private industry, faith communities,
philanthropic organizations, the scientific and medical
communities, networks of people living with HIV and
affected populations, and governments worldwide, we can
accomplish our goals of reducing new HIV infections,
increasing access to care, improving health outcomes
for patients, reducing HIV-related disparities, and
building a cohesive, coordinated response to HIV. On
this day, let us pay tribute to those whom HIV/AIDS
took from us too soon, and let us recognize those who
continue to fight for a world free from AIDS. Let us
also recognize researchers, providers, and advocates,
who work each day on behalf of people living with HIV,
and in honor of the precious lives we have lost to HIV.
Together, we can forge a future in which no person--
here in America or anywhere in our world--knows the
pain or stigma caused by HIV/AIDS.

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, 2015, 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 fifteen, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and fortieth.