General Assembly Session 60 meeting 69

The President

The report of the Fifth Committee on the programme budget implications of draft resolution A/60/L.43 is issued as document A/60/625, and the text of the programme budget implications is contained, for the time being, in document A/C.5/60/L.22, section J.

In view of the lateness of the hour, I will not read out my prepared statement on this important draft resolution. Copies are being distributed to delegations.

Let me say only that the new year, 2006, will mark five years since the landmark Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, adopted at the twenty-sixth special session of the General Assembly. The world has made progress on the fight against HIV/AIDS, but much remains to be done. In the next hour, more than 300 people will die as a result of AIDS. In the same span of time, more than 500 men, women and children will become newly infected, more than half of them under the age of 24.

Our initial response to HIV/AIDS was slow, but we must make 2006 the year when the international community finally steps up to the plate. We need to focus on education, gender and health. I was glad that the General Assembly's recent summit outcome document (resolution 60/1) included provisions on health systems capacity and that the Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on enhancing capacity-building in global public health (resolution 60/35).

The draft resolution I am introducing today, entitled "Preparations for and organization of the 2006 follow-up meeting on the outcome of the twenty-sixth special session: implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS", paves the way for the comprehensive review of progress in implementing the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and for the high-level meeting to be held in May and June 2006. Further, it responds to the commitment undertaken by our leaders at the 2005 world summit to fully implement all the commitments established by the Declaration.

Let me just extend my sincere thanks to Ambassador Christopher Hackett of Barbados and Ambassador Laxanachantorn Laohaphan of Thailand for their skilled and committed co-chairing of the informal consultations which produced this draft resolution. And, of course, I want to pay tribute to all delegates for reaching agreement in the consultations. We all know that there was difficulty finding common ground on some sensitive issues. That spirit of compromise is much appreciated.

In closing, I should note that high-level attendance will be critical to the success of the proposed meeting next year. If draft resolution A/60/L.43 is adopted today, I would strongly encourage high-level representation at the meeting from as many Member States as possible.

Before giving the floor to the representative of Cuba, who wishes to speak in explanation of position on draft resolution A/60/L.43, I remind delegations that explanations of vote or position are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.

Mr. Cumberbach Miguén (Cuba)

When the 2005 World Summit Outcome (resolution 60/1) was adopted, our delegation clearly indicated its dissatisfaction with the section on various questions related to the international development agenda. We made clear our reservations with respect to the text of the outcome document, whose adoption was marred by a lack of transparency and by manipulation on the part of certain very powerful delegations. No substantive progress was made in terms of the commitments undertaken in United Nations summits and conferences. Nor were we able to reaffirm the outcomes of those summits and conferences.

While the outcome document affirms that the agreed commitments of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS of the twenty-sixth special session, held in 2001, will be fully implemented, it then immediately undermines those agreed commitments: the goal of universal access to treatment for all those who need it is reduced to the mere aim of coming as close as possible to that goal by 2010. But we all know that to halt the pandemic, urgent and effective action must be taken now.

It is clear that the guardians of the neo-liberal marketplace are more concerned about the profits of the major pharmaceutical corporations than about the lives of millions of human beings who suffer the consequences of HIV/AIDS. The families of the some 300 people who will die -- as you, Sir, said -- in the next hour should be aware of that.

With the adoption of draft resolution A/60/L.43, on preparations for the meeting to be held next year, the General Assembly is about to repeat the error it made in September 2005. Our delegation will therefore not join the consensus on the draft resolution, and it disassociates itself from the draft resolution's language on universal access to treatment for all those that need it, contained in paragraph 12, which repeats the step backwards taken by paragraph 57 (d) of the September 2005 summit outcome document. Furthermore, that language prepares the way for diluting other development goals in public health and other areas that are not of interest to big business.

Our country will continue to oppose the obstacles put in the path of the sustainable development of developing countries.

The President

In view of the lateness of the hour, may I ask delegates to make their explanations of vote or position as brief as possible.

The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/60/L.43, entitled "Preparations for and organization of the 2006 follow-up meeting on the outcome of the twenty-sixth special session: implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS".

May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt draft resolution A/60/L.43?

The President

I call now on delegations wishing to speak in explanation of position on the draft resolution just adopted.

Mr. Yáñez Pilgrim (Venezuela)

Our delegation did not oppose the consensus on A/60/L.43, but it believes it necessary to make the following statement.

One of the many reasons for which the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela did not accept the 2005 World Summit Outcome (resolution 60/1) was because of the considerable step backwards in the area of the fight against HIV/AIDS that it would legitimize. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela sees the new language accepted by some heads of State or Government -- by which the commitment is solely to come as close as possible to the goal of universal access to treatment by 2010 for all those who need it rather than a firm commitment to ensure access for all to antiretroviral treatment -- as a step backward and a failure to implement the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals.

We urge the entire international community to keep the Millennium Declaration commitments alive and not limit the goals set in 2000 by means of this new, not very encouraging language. We also hope that this step backwards in the fight against the scourge of HIV/AIDS does not set a precedent that allows the most powerful countries of the international system to reduce the other Millennium Development Goals to their bare minimum.

For those reasons, we express our reservations with respect to the third preambular paragraph and operative paragraph 12 of the draft resolution.

Mr. Wolff (United States)

The United States joined consensus on the resolution just adopted on preparations for and organization of the 2006 follow-up meeting on the outcome of the twenty-sixth special session: implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. While we regret the appearance of an unexpected, last-minute report on programme budget implications, it is our expectation that all costs for the comprehensive review not already covered by the biennium budget will be absorbed.

The President

The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 45.