123STA T . 3 74 2 PROCL A M AT I O N8 4 59— NO V .25 , 2 0 09 Proclam a ti o n8459 o fN o ve m b er 2 5 , 2 0 09 WorldAIDS D ay,20 0 9BythePr e sid e n t of the U nited S t a tes of Am eri c a A Proc l amation OurNationj oin s t hew or ld in c ele b ratin g the e x traordinar y ad v ance -m ents we have made in the battle against HIV and A I DS, and remem- bering those we have lost . Over the p ast three decades, brave men and women have f ought devastating discrimination, stigma, doubt, and vio- lence as they stood in the face of this deadly disease. M any of them would not be here today, but for the dedication of other persons living with HIV, their loved ones and families, community advocates, and members of the medical profession. On W orld AIDS Day, we rededi- cate ourselves to developing a national AIDS strategy that will estab- lish the priorities necessary to combat this devastating epidemic at home, and to renewing our leadership role and commitments abroad. T hough we have been witness to incredible progress, our struggle against HIV / AIDS is far from over. With an infection occurring every nine-and-a-half minutes in America, there are more than one million individuals estimated to be living with the disease in our country. Of those currently infected, one in five does not k now they have the con- dition, and the majority of new infections are spread by people who are unaware of their own status. HIV/AIDS does not discriminate as it infiltrates neighborhoods and communities. Americans of any gender, age, ethnicity, income, or sexual orientation can and are contracting the disease. G lobally, there are over 3 3 million people living with HIV. While mil- lions have died from this disease, the death rate is slowly declining due, in part, to our Nation ’ s global effort through the P resident’s E mer- gency Plan for AIDS R elief ( PEP F AR ) program. However, HIV remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Women and children around the world are particularly vulnerable due to gender ine q ualities, gaps in access to services, and increases in sexual violence. While the statistics are distressing, new medications and scientific advancements give us reason for hope. Tackling this disease will take an aggressive, steadfast approach. My Administration is developing a national HIV/AIDS strategy to bolster our response to the domestic epidemic, and a global health initiative that will build on PEPFAR’s success. We will develop a strategy to re- duce HIV incidence, improve access to care, and help eliminate HIV- related health disparities. We have already ensured that visitors to our shores living with HIV are not marginali z ed and discriminated against because of their HIV status. We have also secured the continuation of critical HIV/AIDS care and treatment services. Today, we recommit ourselves to building on the accomplishments of the past decades that have dramatically changed the domestic and global HIV/AIDS land- scape. NOW, THEREFORE, I, B ARA CK OBAMA, President of the U nited States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Con- stitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Decem- ber 1 , 20 0 9 , as World AIDS Day. I urge the Governors of the States and
