World AIDS Day, 2000

Proclamation 7382 of November 30, 2000

World AIDS Day, 2000

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

As the global community observes the 13th annual World
AIDS Day, we remember with sorrow our friends, loved
ones, neighbors, and colleagues who have lost their
lives to AIDS, and we reaffirm our shared commitment to
carry on the fight until our battle against this
devastating disease is won.

We can be proud of our efforts over the past 8 years.
My Administration has worked aggressively to increase
funding for AIDS research; to find better treatments, a
vaccine, and a cure; to enhance HIV prevention efforts;
and to help ensure that those living with HIV and AIDS
receive the health care they need. Federal funding for
such activities has doubled on the national front and
tripled internationally, reaching nearly $11 billion
last year alone, and I recently named a Presidential
Envoy for AIDS Cooperation.

Building on this commitment, last month I signed into
law the Ryan White CARE Act Amendments of 2000,
improving the Federal Government's most comprehensive
program for providing services to Americans living with
HIV/AIDS. Our investment is producing results and,
thanks to new treatments, many people with AIDS are
living longer and experiencing a better quality of life
than ever before.

But our battle is far from over. Last year, 3 million
people died from HIV/AIDS--the highest global total
reported since the pandemic began. Current estimates
indicate that more than 50 million people have been
infected with HIV since the virus was first identified
more than 15 years ago, and some 21.8 million people
have died from HIV/AIDS. The number of children
orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS is estimated to be
more than 13.2 million.

Because the spread of HIV has reached catastrophic
proportions in many areas of our global community, AIDS
has become a national and international security
threat. The United States is working hard to develop
partnerships with other nations and to mobilize a
greatly expanded global response to address HIV/AIDS
through our Leadership and Investment in Fighting an
Epidemic Initiative. And this week, we will host a
White House Summit of Religious Leaders to underscore
the important role the world's faith communities play
in preventing the spread of HIV and in caring for those
affected by HIV. Many care and treatment programs
around the world are operated by religious-based
organizations, and often these groups provide the only
available source of care. The summit will highlight
successful efforts and raise awareness of our moral
obligations in addressing HIV and AIDS.

Our goals are clear, and our resolve is firm. Working
with our partners at home and abroad, we will triumph
over the tragedy of HIV/AIDS and ensure a bright,
healthy future for our children.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim December 1, 2000, as World
AIDS Day. I invite 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 reaffirming our commitment to defeating HIV and
AIDS. I encourage every American to participate in
appropriate commemorative programs and ceremonies in
workplaces, houses of worship, and other community
centers, to reach out to protect and educate our
people, and to provide hope and help to all who are
living with HIV and AIDS.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord two
thousand, and of the Independence of the United States
of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.