It is a matter of particular concern to me to make HIV/AIDS a prime topic of the German Presidency, and over and above this a political priority of all European Governments, of the Commission and of Europe as a whole. The fight against HIV/AIDS is a matter for the most senior level!
As with no other health policy topic, in view of the pandemic dimension and the threat posed by HIV/AIDS, we must look beyond our borders – over national borders, over the frontiers of the European Union, and beyond Europe. And we must also look beyond the area of health policy. This is why we will also be dealing in the coming days with issues related to research, economic and development policy.
The fight against HIV/AIDS can only be won if there is strong political leadership. We can only be successful if the topic of HIV/AIDS is dealt with at the highest political level – as the Federal Chancellor has done. And we will only be able to manage to put a stop to HIV/AIDS by cooperating with civil society.
The fight against HIV/AIDS is a race against time. And policy on HIV/AIDS has far too frequently come up against obstacles in the last 25 years in various parts of the world, and has wasted valuable time.
We cannot afford to pay lip service or implement half-hearted measures if we wish to prevent the epidemic spreading, with the horrendous consequences that this would have for the economy and for society. The international community of states, as well as the EU and each of the countries represented here, has set itself these goals, which are as ambitious as they are meaningful. We want to and we must get to grips with the epidemic, and we also owe this to those affected by HIV/AIDS and to everyone still to become infected.
If we share our knowledge and bundle our efforts, we have a chance to win the race. We have also set ourselves an ambitious goal for this conference. We want to discuss here, today and tomorrow, what the next concrete steps are that we must take to prevent HIV/AIDS from spreading further.
What must we ourselves do as Ministers? What actions must we set in motion in our Governments? With whom must we work together?
The bad news is that there is still no cure for the infection, and we have not found a vaccination against HIV/AIDS. Research has undergone setbacks. The number of new infections continued to rise in 2006 in many Western European countries, including in Germany. What is worse, here in Western Europe the disease is being wrongly played down in a manner which unfortunately has an impact on people’s conduct. The rapid increase in new infections in Eastern Europe and in Central Asia in particular is alarming. This affects us all. We can see not only the danger lying in the spread of the disease for our countries, but we can see people’s suffering behind the numbers.
What has to happen? The tools which are at our disposal in the fight against HIV/AIDS are political willingness to act, political leadership, and Europewide political coordination and support, exchange of experience in gathering information on how the disease is transmitted, as well as on successful prevention methods, and medicines which can delay the onset of the disease and improve its victims’ quality of life.
Having said all that, we must ensure that these medicines are available to everyone who needs them. After more than two decades of experience with the fight against HIV/AIDS in Europe, we know that dealing with this disease in an open, non-discriminatory manner is the core prerequisite for successful prevention, and it is indispensable if we are to reach all population groups.
We know that we will only reach people if we respect their rights, dignity and needs, including when they are ill. Sexually-transmitted diseases cannot be countered by repression. If, on the other hand, people are informed about the risk of infection in an unprejudiced, factual manner, they will be willing to protect themselves and their partners. They will be able to quite deliberately break the chain of infection.
HIV/AIDS does not stop at borders. The starting position for prevention policy differs greatly from one country to another. This is why we need differentiated approaches with a clear, common strategic orientation.
It is highly important for us to agree on the components which must be assembled in order to successfully combat HIV/AIDS. This includes prevention, treatment and support for people living with HIV and their communities, coupled with respect for human rights.
It is highly important for us to agree that HIV prevention should not be dealt with in an isolated manner, and that an interdepartmental approach is required, spanning health policy, education and research, as well as development cooperation.
What applies at national level also applies to Brussels. The European Union has made a major contribution towards the fight against the HIV pandemic. This is particularly also taking place through the inclusion and participation of the civil society and of people who live with HIV. The European Union’s Research Framework Programmes can supplement and enhance research in the Member States.
Against the background of the positive experience in Germany, I am particularly concerned that a message should go out from this conference. This message is that the Governments represented here should commit themselves in the fight against HIV/AIDS to cooperation which is built on trust and to engaging in complementary action in unison with the civil society, and that they should create suitable structures to this end, so that in particular organisations which represent people living with HIV and the groups which are at risk can participate in planning and in implementing the measures.
A message should also go out that the fight against HIV/AIDS can only be won if there is strong political leadership, and only if we make joint efforts spanning our own national borders. Together we can face the responsibility which we also took on board in the Dublin Declarations and with the Millennium Development Goals. I would like to see this conference helping to make this happen in a way that can be taken up by everyone here, and continued within the Team Presidencies.
