Security Council meeting 4087-Resu.1

The President

Before I call on the next speaker on my list, I would like to ask members, now that the Ministers have all had their say, to consider shortening their statements, especially -- as was said earlier by the Ambassador of France -- when they repeat statistics that we have already heard.

Mr. van Walsum (Netherlands)

You have invited us, Mr. President, to be brief and to the point in our statements and to concentrate on what Member States or the international community as a whole can do to address the devastating impact of AIDS in Africa. We will of course comply with your wish, but we do so with some hesitation, for anyone who speaks about AIDS in Africa feels an urge to show that he is aware of the almost unimaginable scale of this humanitarian emergency. To that end, he is tempted to highlight at least some of the mind-boggling statistics about the impact of AIDS in making his own contribution to the debate.

But we agree with you, Sir, that after the statements we have just heard from the Secretary-General, from Vice-President Gore, from World Bank President Wolfensohn, from United Nations Development Programme Administrator Malloch Brown, from Executive Director Piot of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and from the Ministers of Health of Namibia, Uganda and Zimbabwe, there is really no need for a further description of the unspeakable tragedy that afflicts Africa. In that respect virtually everything has been said, not only today but also quite recently during the meeting on the International Partnership against AIDS in Africa. Yet when we ask ourselves what the Security Council can do -- and we understand this is the first question you want us to address -- we are inclined to conclude that strengthening awareness has to be our primary objective.

My delegation does not need to be convinced that the impact of AIDS is a legitimate subject for an open meeting of the Security Council. The interface between AIDS and conflict in Africa seems to be obvious. AIDS is a health problem, but it is one that devastates whole economies, overwhelms entire public health systems and ultimately tends to destroy the very fabric of complete societies. As such it is responsible for an unprecedented degree of gloom and despair, which in itself is one of the most virulent seeds of conflict.

Conversely, conflicts clearly have an accelerating effect on the spread of AIDS. Soldiers and displaced civilians on the move are important sources of HIV dissemination, and in areas of conflict the fight against HIV/AIDS is particularly difficult. According to a UNAIDS report, the degree of HIV infection among military personnel may well be two to five times higher than that of the civilian population. Therefore, if the Security Council is expected to contribute to increased awareness, it might usefully concentrate on this particular aspect of the problem and call on all African States to demonstrate their commitment to combating AIDS by focusing on the armed forces under their command. Let the awareness and the responsibility and the discipline start with the military.

The Netherlands will continue to contribute to the battle against AIDS -- especially in Africa -- at at least the current level. According to reports from UNAIDS and the Harvard AIDS Institute, the Netherlands is the second largest donor worldwide in both absolute terms and on a per capita basis. Our contributions are made available both in a multilateral and in a bilateral context. Bilateral AIDS programmes exist with Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and Zambia. In addition, an AIDS component is integrated into basic health care activities supported by the Netherlands.

It is understood that the Netherlands subscribes to the statement the representative of Portugal will deliver on behalf of the European Union.

Mr. Listre (Argentina)

As this is my first statement in the Security Council, I should like to extend my greetings to you, Mr. President, and to all the members of the Council, the Secretary-General and the staff of the Secretariat, who so efficiently contribute to the work of the most important body responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security.

Argentina has for some time maintained that, with the end of the cold war, it has become easier to recognize the fact that threats to international peace and security are not exclusively related to the threat or the use of force, but that they instead encompass a broader criterion that has been called human security. I acknowledge that this concept is still evolving and that it is not yet clearly defined.

We have also said that peace and development are two sides of the same coin. There can be no lasting peace where the basic conditions for subsistence, education and health are not guaranteed for the inhabitants.

It is in this framework linking the concepts of human security, peace and development that we believe the serious issue of AIDS should be considered as a factor leading to situations that have an effect on international security. In this regard, we consider it appropriate to recall that His Holiness Pope Paul VI, in his 1967 encyclical on the development of peoples entitled Populorum Progressio, stated that development was the new name of peace.

We have no doubt that AIDS erodes the potential for human, social and economic development -- elements that are at the root of most current conflicts, both of international conflicts and of domestic ones with international repercussions.

The magnitude of the AIDS problem in Africa is evidenced by the fact that the question is being taken up in an open meeting of the Security Council, with the participation of the Vice-President of the United States of America, Mr. Al Gore, and of the President of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, for the first time in the history of the Council, as well as by the high-level participation of Members of the Organization in the debate.

The actions that are taken, or not taken, over the next five years in combating AIDS will be decisive for the future of the countries of sub-Saharan Africa and indeed that of all humankind. In this connection, we would venture to make the following suggestions as to measures that should be taken.

In the view of the Republic of Argentina, the first step should be to recognize that AIDS is not exclusively a health problem but also affects development and, consequently, security -- a key issue in the elaboration of national and regional policies. We believe that combating AIDS should be a part of national development agendas along with issues relating to combating illiteracy, hunger and infant malnutrition.

The second step, we believe, should be increasing financial assistance to this end. At the present time the international community is allocating inadequate resources to programmes to combat AIDS. The level of international response must be commensurate with the spread of the epidemic, which is increasing three times faster than the resources allocated to control it. Likewise, an increase in official development assistance, which has been declining in recent years, is necessary. This is the principal responsibility of those that have more resources -- in other words, the developed countries.

In this context, in the spirit of the G-8 summit held in Cologne in June 1999, we should consider reducing the debt of the African countries most seriously affected by AIDS and least able to muster the resources to combat it. We also believe that the private sector has an important part to play in mobilizing resources.

The third step should be more active participation by civil society, including non-governmental organizations.

Fourthly, we believe that insofar as is possible we should increase cooperation among international organizations. In this respect, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank, inter alia, all do important work in the area of prevention, dissemination of information, education, and technical and financial assistance. This work should continue, intensify and, ultimately, be coordinated with the work of regional organizations.

Fifthly, we believe it necessary to intensify the coordination among international organizations, non-governmental organizations and governmental authorities.

Lastly, we cannot fail to mention the situation of AIDS orphans, which, as UNICEF has pointed out, is indeed a unique tragedy in both its scope and nature. It deserves priority attention and an emergency response.

We have just heard the situation described most eloquently. We believe that the United Nations must restate its commitment to tackle this epidemic, which is particularly serious in Africa, where it affects one out of four people, but which also exists throughout the world, including Latin American and the Caribbean, as was demonstrated by the data that was presented by the United Nations Development Programme Administrator, Mr. Malloch Brown.

I cannot conclude my statement without quoting the Secretary-General's words of 6 December 1999:

"We must make the struggle against AIDS a true priority in our work throughout Africa, on an equal footing with our work for peace and security." (SG/SM/7247, p. 3)

The Republic of Argentina fully agrees with that statement and undertakes to provide its fullest cooperation.

Lastly, I must thank, on behalf of our delegation, the delegation of the United States of America for having brought such an important issue to the Council for discussion.

The President

I thank the representative of Argentina for his kind words about our presentation and for his presence here today.

Mr. Duval (Canada)

The Canadian delegation is very appreciative of the briefings provided by the Secretary-General, Mr. Wolfensohn, Mr. Malloch Brown and Dr. Peter Piot on ongoing efforts to address the unfolding tragedy of AIDS in Africa. We also very much welcome the profile given this crucial problem by the participation of Vice-President Gore in this important meeting of the Security Council. Canada has consistently argued that the Council must broaden its definition of security to include non-traditional threats, especially those which affect human security. We commend you, Mr. President, and the American delegation for giving the Security Council the opportunity to consider the AIDS issue in the context of peace and security in Africa. We also wish to commend the work of Ambassador Greenstock of the United Kingdom delegation, focused during December on difficult issues of peace and security in Africa.

Mr. Duval (Canada)

The AIDS pandemic represents a formidable threat to the development of government institutions, economic growth, political stability and human security in several parts of the world. The figures that we heard this morning show that in Africa this pandemic is more murderous than war. The reality is that a third, if not half, of Africans employed in the sectors of health, education, and security and in the civil service are likely to die of AIDS over the next five to 10 years. This is not just a human tragedy but also a real threat to peace and stability in the countries affected, which are already confronting many other challenges. The efforts of African Governments to stem the AIDS tide are hampered by civil strife, refugee flows, rapid urbanization and poverty, each of which, in turn, contributes to the further spread of HIV infection and AIDS.

We must also consider the pandemic's impact on the ability of African States to continue to play their part in several peacekeeping operations around the world and in Africa itself. In sub-Saharan Africa, Ministries of Defence report averages of 20 to 40 per cent HIV positivity within their armed services. As the disease progresses, this will mean a loss of continuity at command level and within the ranks of the army, and a reduction in the effectiveness of prior peacekeeping training. Furthermore, in line with the guidance provided by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, all peacekeepers, international observers and relief aid workers need to fully understand, both personally and professionally, the risks associated with inappropriate sexual behaviour, and this is usually what is involved.

Canada has been involved in the international fight against AIDS since 1987. Total Canadian funding in support of HIV/AIDS projects in developing countries reached $22 million in 1999 alone. Canada's focus has very much been on Africa, with four of five major projects on that continent dealing with the promotion of sexual health, HIV/AIDS control and prevention, the strengthening of primary health-care capacity and addressing the special needs of women and vulnerable groups.

Last September, Carol Bellamy spoke of the need to break the conspiracy of silence surrounding AIDS as an important step in addressing the problem in Africa. We congratulate Uganda and its Minister; indeed, that country has set an example by reversing this devastating trend. We also welcome the importance given to the issue by President Moi of Kenya and President Mkapa of Tanzania in their recent millennium addresses.

Like Secretary-General Kofi Annan, we also welcome the courageous decisions of most African Governments in recognizing that the first battle to be won in the war against HIV/AIDS is to break the silence and remove the stigma surrounding it. Dr. Piot reminded us this morning that efforts already taken have yielded positive results. Clearly, strong political commitment and a united response on the part of Africans themselves will go a long way in mitigating the impact of AIDS over the short term, stemming the disease's growth over the medium term and, hopefully, over the longer term working towards its complete eradication.

It is equally clear that Africa cannot face this problem alone. Canada is one of many countries which has joined efforts with non-governmental and multilateral organizations to assist Africans in their fight against AIDS. The Secretary-General's launch of the International Partnership against AIDS in Africa last December is a welcome development which should help ensure a coordinated approach involving national Governments, private enterprise and multilateral agencies.

Only two decades after the breakout of HIV/AIDS, important progress has been made in understanding the virus and the relationship between HIV/AIDS and human development. AIDS is no longer a single health problem. It has become a complex, multifaceted issue for development.

The pervasiveness of conflict in Africa has been a key stumbling block to development. War steals resources. Therefore, the first and most obvious way the Council can contribute to Africa's fight against AIDS is to intensify its engagement in preventing and resolving conflict on that continent.

For its part, Canada pledges to support African Governments as they take the lead in generating their own national strategic plans to combat HIV/AIDS, to support communities and community groups in their responses to HIV/AIDS, to establish priorities in programming to ensure optimal impact and cost effective interventions, and to promote sustainable human development through a broad approach including basic human needs -- basic education, primary health care and gender equity.

Mr. Hasmy (Malaysia)

At your request, Mr. President, I shall go straight to the subject without the usual complimentary remarks to Vice-President Gore, to you, Sir, and to Ambassador Greenstock, which have been well expressed by previous speakers with which my delegation associates itself.

We are all too familiar with the AIDS statistics affecting Africa. Many of these compelling facts have been cited and highlighted by virtually all of the distinguished speakers during this morning's session. I will therefore not repeat them here. Suffice to say the AIDS epidemic in Africa is indeed a pandemic affecting millions of people, many of whom have succumbed to this terrible disease and many still living but barely surviving. Many more will be infected in the years to come until and unless humanity finds a way to stop the spread of the pandemic once and for all.

Clearly, the impact of AIDS on Africa has been particularly debilitating. In the words of the Secretary-General,

"the AIDS pandemic -- unexpected, unexplained, unspeakably cruel -- presents us, especially Africa, with a tragedy we can barely comprehend, let alone manage".

Its effects are of tragic proportions, destroying the very fabric of society. Over the last two decades, since it first reared its head, it has become not just a public health problem, but a problem with socio-economic and, increasingly, security dimensions. It presents an enormous challenge to African Governments in their developmental efforts as the best of national planning goes awry in the face of the devastating effects of the disease, especially when valuable human capital trained at great cost falls victim to the disease.

It is obvious that the AIDS issue is no longer an essentially African problem. It has become a global problem affecting many regions of the world, including my own region of Asia, where it is also becoming an issue of major concern. Indeed, very few regions have been spared its pernicious effects, although the developing countries bear the greatest burden on account of their lack of capacity to contain the HIV/AIDS virus. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that the fight against AIDS be mounted on a global scale, as that is the only way the scourge could conceivably be contained and eventually stamped out. For this purpose, there is a need to launch a concerted and vigorous global campaign against HIV/AIDS involving a multipronged approach, involving publicity to sensitize both Governments and publics, care and education at every level of society, policy coordination within and between Governments, medical research, and greater involvement of civil society and the private sector.

In this regard, the first ever meeting on international partnerships against HIV/AIDS in Africa, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 6 December 1999, was welcome and timely. In his address during that meeting Secretary-General Kofi Annan, inter alia, underscored a number of priority objectives, namely, to break the conspiracy of silence at every level, to meet the needs of those already infected and their families, to make effective treatment available at affordable prices to Africans, to speed up the work of developing a vaccine and to use all available means to halt the spread of the disease.

The meeting on international partnerships was the first major step in the right direction in galvanizing and coordinating global action towards addressing this scourge of our generation. It was an action-oriented meeting. The United Nations and other agencies involved, namely the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and its cosponsors, must be commended for this initiative in focusing on the impact of AIDS in Africa. We wished this meeting could have been organized much earlier so that the AIDS issue in Africa could have been addressed much sooner, but late is better than never. There should be concrete follow-up actions in the coming months, and in this regard my delegation looks forward to an agreed plan of action expected to be finalized in May this year.

In our efforts to galvanizing global action to combat the HIV/AIDS virus worldwide, beginning with Africa as being the most seriously affected region, we should not lose sight of the fact that while the virus knows no boundaries and attacks indiscriminately, it is the poorer developing countries that are most traumatized by the disease. Therefore there is a need for the wealthier developed countries -- out of enlightened self-interest, if not pure altruism -- to make available more resources to ameliorate the effects of the disease in the developing countries, particularly the affected African countries.

Many of the African countries, burdened with crippling debts, simply do not have the resources to carry out effective prevention programmes or to provide treatment to their people infected by HIV, as the drugs necessary for the treatment are exorbitantly expensive. This is where developed countries can and should play a major and constructive role. They can, through their economic aid programmes, make available the necessary drugs to African countries. More importantly, they should pressure their pharmaceutical companies to reduce the prices of these drugs or allow compulsory licensing of life-saving drugs.

Indeed, at the International Congress on AIDS in the Asia-Pacific region held recently in Kuala Lumpur, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad, drew attention to the fact that compulsory licensing was allowed under the World Trade Organization but that, regrettably, certain countries had aligned themselves with the giant pharmaceutical companies, thereby denying developing countries the right to produce cheaper drugs to save the lives of their people. While it is true that pharmaceutical companies have made heavy investments in research, they should not try to recoup their costs and reap profits at the expense of the sufferings of the poor. As Prime Minister Mahathir said, it is regrettable that profit is taking precedent over people's lives. He felt that the developed countries, with their unprecedented wealth, could do more to reduce the burden of the poor countries in this regard.

We must not only do more in addressing the AIDS epidemic; we must do it better. The United Nations system, with its global mission of protecting and promoting human rights, peace and security, is uniquely placed to provide assistance on very often difficult policy matters relating to AIDS. The role of the United Nations in combating AIDS is particularly pertinent, for, after all, two of the most fundamental of human rights are the right to life and health.

It is regrettable that when the world first learned about HIV/AIDS infections, we underestimated the breadth of the deadly path it would cut through the world. Even as we are gradually coming to grips with it, we are still underestimating the impact of the epidemic. And, unfortunately, we are also underestimating our ability or capacity to stop it -- or at least to slow it down, as evidenced by some of the success stories we have heard this morning, particularly regarding Uganda. We look forward to hearing further success stories in the coming months and years.

In Africa, comparisons with the medieval bubonic plague are not misplaced. To prevent an even greater catastrophe, we need to work together -- Governments, businesses, universities, non-governmental organizations, religious organizations and the media -- to do more, to do it better and to do it now. Yes, new resources will be required. But the cost of action will certainly be less than the cost of inaction. In this regard, my delegation commends the important package of initiatives that the United States intends to take, as announced by Vice-President Gore in his statement this morning.

We welcome these initiatives as a manifestation of enlightened leadership on the part of the most influential member of the international community. We trust these initiatives will be vigorously pursued and emulated by other developed countries that have not yet done so. Indeed, nothing could be more appropriate and more welcome than for the developed countries, led by the United States, to launch a kind of Marshall Plan for Africa to assist the continent in combating this scourge.

I wish to congratulate you, Mr. President, on organizing this meeting of the Council on the impact of AIDS in Africa and its consequences for regional peace and security, which has dramatized the concerns of the international community on this important subject. It is a timely wake-up call for the international community and reinforces the efforts of the General Assembly and other organs of the United Nations, as well as that of the Secretary-General.

The President

I thank the Ambassador of Malaysia for his important comments and kind words and for his support in this innovative concept.

The representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland set the tone for this month's focus on Africa by his enlightened and inspired leadership of the Security Council in the last month of the last century.

Sir Jeremy Greenstock (United Kingdom)

A problem occurred in a Python script. Here is the sequence of function calls leading up to the error, in the order they occurred.

<type 'exceptions.UnicodeEncodeError'>: 'ascii' codec can't encode character u'\xa3' in position 1784: ordinal not in range(128)
      args = ('ascii', u'\n\t<p id="pg007-bk02-pa01">I am setting aside my ...rica. And then we might be getting somewhere.</p>', 1784, 1785, 'ordinal not in range(128)')
      encoding = 'ascii'
      end = 1785
      message = ''
      object = u'\n\t<p id="pg007-bk02-pa01">I am setting aside my ...rica. And then we might be getting somewhere.</p>'
      reason = 'ordinal not in range(128)'
      start = 1784