Press Release: President Bill Clinton Recommits to Achieving Universal Access to AIDS Prevention and Treatment

Opening remarks highlight the progress made and the work ahead in the fight against HIV/AIDS

New York, NY – Earlier today at the opening plenary session of the 18th Annual International AIDS Conference, President Bill Clinton applauded the world’s progress to date in fighting AIDS and recommitted to achieving universal access to AIDS prevention and treatment. In his speech to more than 25,000 conference attendees, President Clinton reminded the audience that while the global community’s progress has been great, now is not the time to walk away from fighting HIV/AIDS.

“We’ve ramped up and we’ve done a good job, but now we need to transition from an emergency response to something that is sustained,” President Clinton said. “We cannot get to the end of this epidemic without profound changes to funding and the way we spend it. I will do my part.”

He lauded the conference’s theme Rights Here, Right Now, emphasizing the right to healthcare services for all who need them and the importance of getting more value out of our investments. He encouraged private citizens, the private sector, and implementing governments to do their part, and underscored the importance of donor governments making good on the commitments they have set.

President Clinton has been committed to fighting HIV/AIDS in and out of office. In 2002, he founded the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) which now employs over 700 staff and volunteers in more than 30 countries around the world. Under his leadership, CHAI has achieved impressive results such as facilitating an 80 percent price reduction for leading pediatric HIV/AIDS treatments; developing pricing structures that have allowed more than 2.6 million people living with HIV/AIDS to receive medicines; and helping over 250,000 children in 34 countries receive life-saving anti-retroviral therapy. In addition to working on HIV/AIDS, CHAI also focuses on applying its model to other disease areas, such as malaria, and to strengthen health systems in the developing world.

President Clinton has attended the past five International AIDS Conferences.

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