Summary: January 19, 2001: Security Council. Open meeting on HIV/AIDS and follow-up to Resolution 1308. Statement by Ambassador Per Norström, Deputy Permanent Representative of Sweden on behalf of the European Union (New York)
Mr. President,
Thank you for the opportunity to address the Council today. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia) and the associated countries (Cyprus, Malta and Turkey), as well as the EFTA countries member of the EEA, (Iceland and Liechtenstein), align themselves with this statement.
The European Union is very pleased to participate in this meeting today on the subject of HIV/AIDS and the follow-up to resolution 1308, and welcomes in particular the efforts by the US and Ambassador Holbrooke himself.
We participated in the Security Council debate led by the Vice-President of the United States, Mr. Al Gore, a year ago. We also supported resolution 1308 adopted by the Council in July last year. The Council is today, once more, sending a strong message that HIV/AIDS is a global crisis, which, if unchecked, may threaten international peace and human security. The European Union fully endorses this message. The Union also recognises the evolution of the HIV/AIDS epidemic from a health crisis to
a severe development crisis and a potential security risk.
Mr. President,
Attempting to describe the long-term effects of the HIV/AIDS crisis is beyond the scope of a statement like this today. The epidemic causes tremendous human suffering - especially in those developing countries that lack sufficient resources for treatment, care and support. HIV/AIDS is also destabilising entire societies through systemic damage, threatening development itself.
The spread of HIV/AIDS is alarming. The latest update, published by UNAIDS in December last year, states that in the year 2000, 5.3 million people were infected with HIV. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world today is 36.1 million. These numbers are 50 percent higher than the predictions made by WHO in 1991. However, we must recall that it is possible to do something to stop the spread. The critical situation is an urgent call to implement the plans of actions regarding
HIV/AIDS that already exist.
Mr. President,
The European Union recognises that there is a vicious circle of AIDS, poverty and armed conflict. Movements of people resulting from conflict fuel the spread of HIV/AIDS, but the epidemic itself also causes social and economic crises which can threaten stability and security. The Security Council clearly has a role here - fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS is directly linked to preventing armed conflict.
Security Council resolution 1308 addresses peacekeepers' health and the danger of spreading the disease, but also their advocacy role as promoters of responsible behaviour. The European Union is convinced that peacekeepers can contribute to the work on prevention. Furthermore, we welcome the ongoing discussions in the UN system on the ways in which conflict and humanitarian situations sometimes bring about an elevated risk of HIV transmission for refugees and host communities as well as for UN
and NGO personnel.
Mr. President,
National governments carry the prime responsibility to make sure that peacekeepers are adequately trained and educated. Moreover, the European Union considers national strategies as crucial to cope with HIV/AIDS and encourages the development of long-term national strategies for HIV/AIDS. These national strategies should include education, prevention, voluntary and confidential testing and counselling. Increased cooperation among Member States is imperative. The UN should support the creation
of national HIV/AIDS programmes wherever such are not already in place.
The European Union strongly supports the coordinating work of UNAIDS and urges all UN bodies to cooperate fully and at all levels with UNAIDS. The entire UN system must act on a global scale and in a holistic manner.
Mr. President,
The European Union commends UNAIDS and DPKO for their efforts in the area of HIV/AIDS and peacekeeping. The Cooperation Framework that has been presented to the Council today is an important step forward and constitutes a clear result of resolution 1308. Intensified coordination in the area of HIV/AIDS, at both headquarter and field mission level, is of utmost importance in order to fight the epidemic and to reduce its spread. The international community bears a responsibility to fight this
epidemic which knows no borders.
The European Union notes with satisfaction the broad approach taken by UNAIDS and DPKO by addressing military and civilian peacekeeping personnel as well as humanitarian workers and vulnerable populations. We also welcome the wide range of areas of cooperation and the emphasis on a multi-sectorial approach in the proposed framework.
Mr. President,
The European Union wishes to express its firm commitment to the preparation and holding of the General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS this June. The Special Session will provide an excellent opportunity to talk frankly and in depth about HIV/AIDS in a broad perspective, notably together with representatives of the civil society. We are pleased to have issues such as prevention and care, long-term consequences of the epidemic, the situation of individuals and how the international
community should move forward, on the agenda.
It has been proposed that one of the round tables to take place during the Special Session should contain a discussion of HIV/AIDS as a security issue. Today's important debate, as well as earlier work by the Security Council on this topic, will provide an essential input to our deliberations in June.
Thank you.
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