Ambassador Perry's Speeches

World AIDS Day

Remarks for Ambassador Perry
World AIDS Day
December 1, 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen – Una tenki fo welcome me nar ya tiday
 
Thank you for allowing me to say a few remarks on behalf of all the Diplomatic Missions here in Sierra Leone.  Though we may represent different countries and different cultures, I believe we all speak with one voice when it comes to battling HIV/AIDS.

Our role is to support you as partners of the Government and people of Sierra Leone in controlling and containing this epidemic.  I am pleased to be joining our Defense Attaché, Col. Leslie Bryant today.  Along with the Global Fund, the Department of Defense HIV AIDS Prevention Program is one of the primary means by which the United States Government assists Sierra Leone in its AIDS prevention strategies.  I know her office has done great work in the past several years, including the most recent launching of a Voluntary Confidential Counseling and Testing Clinic in Gondama this summer.

Sierra Leone is at a crucial point in its fight against AIDS.  The epidemic here has not reached the proportions that it has in some parts of Africa, especially in the South.  The fight against AIDS is nevertheless crucial, as Sierra Leone has only taken as Sierra Leone has only taken the first steps on a long, long journey.

That journey might be one in which the rate at which Sierra Leoneans are infected with AIDS begins to decline, never reaching the staggering statistics of some parts of Africa.  The alternative is a journey none of us wants to contemplate, and from which it will be very difficult to return.

We as the international community, in partnership with the people of Sierra Leone, feel proud of what we have accomplished, but also acknowledge that we are nowhere near where we want to be in terms of preventing new infections, in terms of protecting new born infants, in terms of getting medicine to all those who need them, and in terms of providing basic relief from suffering and illness.  Expectations are high, but service delivery to all is still needed; there is still much work, partnership and outreach to be done. 

As President Bush said, “The United States has responded vigorously to [the HIV] crisis. In 2003, I asked Congress to approve an emergency plan for AIDS relief. Our nation pledged $15 billion over five years for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in many of the poorest nations on Earth. In the years since, thanks to the support of the United States  Congress and the American people our country has met this pledge. This level of assistance is unprecedented, and the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in human history.”

Through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the President’s Malaria Initiative, the Ambassador’s Girls Scholarship Program (AGSP) the Ambassador’s Special Self Help (SSH) projects, and numerous grants through USAID, the Department of Defense, and other agencies, the U.S. Government supports health programs worldwide.  This year, President Bush approached the US Congress to double the financial allocations, making it a $30 billion commitment over the next five years for combating HIV.  We are proud to be working in partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone and other stakeholders on this monumental battle.

But, we have just taken the first steps on a long, long journey.  We should feel proud of what we have accomplished, but also acknowledge that we are nowhere near where we want to be, in terms of preventing new infections, in terms of protecting new born infants, in terms of getting medicine to all those who need them, and in terms of providing basic relief from suffering and illness.

Expectations are high, but service delivery is still needed; there is still much work, partnership and outreach to be done. 

In the U.S., we sing in one voice: “from sea to shining sea.” Here in this beautiful country, we can say instead: from mountain top to shining sea, let us reach everyone who is not infected and prevent infection and reach everyone who is infected so they may have access to the medications and the care they need. From metropolis to village, it is the people, the grassroots of the nation, not our positions, not our organizations, but the people that are a priority in this epidemic. 

That is not to say that many hundreds of people have not been working hard.  On the contrary there are hundreds and hundreds of people, many of whom are here today -- who give their energy and lives to combat this virus.  Most of them go unrecognized and many are unpaid or underpaid.  It is to these unsung and underappreciated heroes and heroines that we want to pay tribute.  We also must recognize the family members caring for their affected loved ones, the village health worker and clinic workers, who know their communities’ needs better than anyone.  We salute you all and want to tell you: we do take notice.  We know you are doing a nearly impossible job, and we care. 

The new government has made health one of its top priorities.  I know the First Lady Mrs. Sia Koroma is herself a nurse, and is working hard to spread the message about the importance of public health.  I wish her the best in her efforts and pledge the cooperation of my Embassy and myself.

Much has been achieved, but we still have a long way to go before we can claim to have the HIV/AIDS epidemic under control.  But, I say to you today: we CAN do it.  In the words of famous poet Robert Frost, “I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.”

On behalf Of the Diplomatic Corps, Una kushe en tenki fo all tin tiday.