World AIDS Day, 2011

Proclamation 8762 of November 30, 2011

World AIDS Day, 2011

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On World AIDS Day, 30 years after the first cases of
HIV/AIDS were reported, we stand with the individuals
and communities affected by HIV and recommit to
progress toward an AIDS-free generation.

My Administration is taking action to turn the corner
on the HIV/AIDS pandemic by investing in research that
promises new and proven methods to prevent infection
and better therapies for people living with HIV. In the
past year, the National Institutes of Health has
reported important progress. We now know that treatment
of HIV not only improves clinical outcomes, but can
also dramatically reduce the risk of transmission.
Studies on the use of antiretroviral medications to
prevent infection of HIV-negative individuals show
promising results. And research is ongoing to devise
new prevention methods that may one day offer
innovative ways to prevent the spread of HIV, like
microbicides that can curb the risk of infection in
women. By pursuing the next breakthrough treatment in
the fight against HIV, continuing research to develop a
vaccine, and incorporating new scientific tools into
our programs, we are taking important steps toward an
AIDS-free generation.

To combat the HIV epidemic in the United States, we are
implementing the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS
Strategy in our country's history, which calls for
strong, coordinated policy initiatives, enhanced HIV/
AIDS education, collaboration across the Federal
Government, and robust engagement with individuals,
communities, and businesses across America. As part of
these efforts, we are embracing the best science
available to prevent new HIV infections, and we are
testing new approaches to integrating housing,
prevention, care, and substance abuse and mental health
services related to HIV/AIDS. We are implementing the
Affordable Care Act, which mandates new consumer
protections and new options for purchasing health
insurance for all Americans by 2014, including those
with HIV. We are also striving to secure employment
opportunities for people living with HIV by working to
end discrimination based on HIV status.

To address the global HIV pandemic, we are working with
nations around the world to advance comprehensive
prevention efforts and provide lifesaving medicine to
millions of people living with HIV. We are integrating
cutting-edge science into the President's Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) that will do even more to
prevent new HIV infections, including more effective
drug regimens to prevent mother-to-child HIV
transmission and low-cost approaches like voluntary
medical male circumcision. When combined with other
proven approaches, such as condoms, HIV testing and
counseling, and programs to support behavior change,
these advances can dramatically reduce HIV incidence
and save lives. As we move forward, we will maintain
our commitment to rigorously measuring the impact of
these approaches, revising them appropriately, and
incorporating new ideas and technologies as they become
available.

Recognizing that a coordinated strategy is essential to
our success, we are partnering with a wide variety of
stakeholders to promote HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention,
and treatment. Here at home, States, tribes,
territories,

and local governments are vital partners in
implementing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, and we are
joined by a host of public and private supporters and
collaborators in PEPFAR. Partnerships with
corporations, foundations, faith-based institutions,
academic institutions, and other organizations are
critically important to the fight against HIV, and we
will work to strengthen these ties in the years ahead.

At this pivotal time in the worldwide response to HIV,
the United States is preparing to welcome the global
community to Washington, D.C., for the 19th
International AIDS Conference in July 2012. We look
forward to working with and learning from people living
with HIV, clinicians, researchers, practitioners, and
advocates from across the globe. On this World AIDS
Day, let us reflect on the people we have lost and
those we hold dear who are living with or affected by
HIV/AIDS. And as we pay tribute to the past and current
heroes in the struggle against this disease, let us
recommit to bringing an end to this tragic pandemic and
pursuing an AIDS-free generation.

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, 2011, 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 comfort
to those living with this disease.

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