Security Council meeting 4339

The President

In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council’s prior consultations and in the absence of objection, I shall take it that the Council agrees to extend an invitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules of procedure to Mr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

There being no objection, it is so decided.

I invite Mr. Piot to take a seat at the Council table.

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations.

Before we begin, let me ask the secretariat to distribute among the members of the Council the HIV/AIDS Awareness Card for peacekeeping operations, which was issued by UNAIDS as a result of one of the decisions the Council took earlier.

Following consultations among members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council:

“The Security Council welcomes the successful holding of the twenty-sixth special session of the General Assembly on HIV/AIDS, and encourages further action to address the problem of HIV/AIDS.

“The Security Council recalls its resolution 1308 (2000) of 17 July 2000, in which the Security Council, bearing in mind its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and emphasizing the important roles of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council in addressing the social and economic factors that lead to the spread of HIV/AIDS, inter alia, recognized that the HIV/AIDS pandemic is also exacerbated by

conditions of violence and instability, and stressed that the HIV/AIDS pandemic, if unchecked, may pose a risk to stability and security.

“The Security Council therefore welcomes the fact that the declaration adopted at the twenty-sixth special session of the General Assembly addresses HIV/AIDS in conflict- and disaster-affected regions and contains a number of practical measures at the national and international levels, to be met within given time-frames, to reduce the impact of conflict and disasters on the spread of HIV/AIDS, including the provision of awareness and training for personnel employed by United Nations agencies and other relevant organizations, development of national strategies to address the spread of HIV/AIDS among national uniformed services, as required, and the inclusion of HIV/AIDS awareness and training in guidelines designed for personnel involved in international peacekeeping operations.

“The Security Council also recalls its open debate on 19 January 2001, taking stock of progress made since the adoption of resolution 1308 (2000). The Council notes the progress made in the implementation of the resolution, and commends the increased cooperation in this regard between the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and UNAIDS through the memorandum of understanding between the two organizations signed in January 2001. Further, the Council welcomes the efforts to develop practical measures, such as the planned joint United Nations field assessment missions to major peacekeeping operations, and the development of the HIV/AIDS Awareness Card for Peacekeeping Operations to be distributed to all peacekeeping operations after testing in UNAMSIL, Sierra Leone. The Council also welcomes the fact that the cooperation framework signed in May this year between UNAIDS and UNIFEM expresses the two organizations’ intention to cooperate in the follow-up to resolution 1308 (2000), as well as resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security.

“The Security Council recognizes that further efforts are necessary to reduce the negative impact of conflict and disasters on the

spread of HIV/AIDS, and to develop the capacity of peacekeepers to become advocates and actors for awareness and prevention of HIV transmission. The Council encourages continued efforts with regard to relevant training for peacekeeping, pre-deployment orientation, increased international cooperation by interested Member States in areas such as prevention, voluntary and confidential testing and counselling, treatment for personnel, and exchange of best practices and countries’ policies in this regard. The Council encourages UNAIDS and DPKO to further pursue the implementation of resolution 1308 (2000), including through the consideration of further efforts to enhance cooperation, such as the inclusion of HIV/AIDS advisers in peacekeeping operations, and revision, as required, of relevant codes of conduct.

“The Security Council expresses its intention to contribute within its competence to the attainment of the relevant objectives in the declaration adopted at the twenty-sixth special session of the General Assembly in carrying out the Council’s work, in particular in its follow-up to resolution 1308 (2000).”

This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2001/16.

This presidential statement is more evidence of the importance that the Council is giving to the implications of HIV/AIDS, even for peacekeeping operations. Reference has already been made to Council resolution 1308 (2000), adopted last July, which highlighted the potential damaging impact of HIV/AIDS on the health of international peacekeeping personnel, including support personnel. UNAIDS, in continuing its work on HIV/AIDS prevention and education, has developed, in cooperation with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, an “awareness card” for peacekeepers, which has now been distributed to members. I would like to express our appreciation to UNAIDS and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations for this useful contribution.

The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.

The Council will remain seized of the matter.