Madame President, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,

I deeply regret not being with you at this momentous event which brings more than 2,500 people together with a common goal—to end AIDS. Momentous because it takes place when we are at a cross-roads of the AIDS response.

If there is one lesson that this experience has taught me—it is the overriding need to strengthen health systems across our continent. It is my hope and aspiration, that the AIDS response will help lead the way.

AIDS as Health, Dignity and Security: A New Paradigm for the Future of the Global Response. Dear friends and colleagues, it is a privilege to deliver my first speech in Washington among friends and colleagues here at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

I thank Chairman Howard Berman and Congresswoman Barbara Lee for their leadership on this issue. I would also like to thank the “MSM Policy Working Group” of the Global AIDS Roundtable for organizing this Forum and inviting me to say a few words. I am honoured to share the platform with my good friend Ambassador Eric Goosby, who brings extensive experience working with the gay community’s early response to the epidemic and San Francisco and to all of you working on the front lines.

I want to thank the organizers and particularly Latida Smith for the invitation to spend some time with you today. I'd like to make sure you know the UNAIDS Washington team, Pauline Muchina, Greg Smiley and John Hassell—who I want to thank for connecting us. Most importantly, I want to thank each of you all for the difference that you make to the AIDS response.

HIV in the Eastern Mediterranean region: Facing challenges; creating opportunities. EMRO is home to well over one half million people living with HIV. The bulk of infections are concentrated among men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs and people who sell sex. These are people who tend to suffer major stigma and discrimination. Not surprisingly HIV remains a highly stigmatized health condition.

My friends, who could fail to care about the human consequences of HIV? The most recent data published with our Cosponsors makes for somber reading. Despite tremendous progress with treatment access, we are not there yet. For every person newly on treatment, three more people are newly infected with HIV.The Church’s uncompromising position on the need for social justice—to do what is right— and on the inherent dignity of individuals, inspires us to champion for universal access to comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, care and support as a moral imperative.

This is an exciting time to be among AIDS vaccine researchers—even more exciting than I anticipated when I accepted the invitation months ago.We have witnessed a significant moment in the AIDS field with the announcement of the results of the Phase III trial in Thailand of a combination HIV vaccine candidate. As you know, the results presented thus far from the Thai trial are modest. Yet that the results are not conclusive is to miss the point—the point is that they provide much needed hope to the scientific community.

BY: Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS DATE: 01 December, 2009 PLACE: Pretoria Showgrounds, Pretoria, South Africa OCCASION: Commemoration of World AIDS Day South Africa’s Reinvigorated AIDS Response