Statement of Bill Gates on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Speech to the African Heads of State Summit in Abuja, Nigeria

SEATTLE -- It is encouraging to hear that consensus is building behind the Secretary General's call for worldwide response to the HIV/AIDS crisis. The Secretary General, UNAIDS, the WHO and UNICEF should be commended for their leadership on this issue of global importance.

Now it is time for world leaders to affirm their support for the UN call to action through new and unprecedented financial commitments.

 

The world can end AIDS, but only if wealthy countries increase their spending on AIDS in a dramatic way. Countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and Germany all should come together to support the Secretary General's call to action. If they do not, the 36 million people infected with AIDS could soon become 136 million.

I am encouraged by the discussions that President Bush and Secretary Powell have had with their advisors on this issue, and encourage them to take a leadership role. If the wealthiest country in the world does not rise to this challenge AIDS will not be stopped.

Countries that are hard hit by the epidemic, and those that will likely feel its impact soon, must build nationwide plans to attack this disease as if it were the worst enemy they have ever faced.

Our foundation has invested in both treatment and prevention programs. We will continue our investments in a range of efforts, from promoting the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, to education and condom distribution, to the development of an AIDS vaccine, to interventions focused on high-risk groups.

The UN's priorities embrace a balanced, multi-faceted approach that deals with treatment, prevention, mother-to-child transmission, tuberculosis, opportunistic infections and AIDS orphans. These are the core areas that must be addressed, and this is the first global framework that has done so in a coordinated way.

Through our charitable foundation, Melinda and I will support the Secretary General's call to action. We believe that the world can beat AIDS, and we are committed to supporting the United Nations and all of its partners as they work to stop this terrible disease.