The Fight Against HIV/AIDS: A War on Many Fronts

Statement by the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Dr Jan Peter Balkenende, New York 22 September 2003

Mr. President, Your Royal Highnesses, Mr Secretary-General, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

Two years after the special session on HIV/AIDS, the epidemic is still spreading like wildfire all over the world. Ten people are infected each minute – nine of them in developing countries. Our commitment to the struggle against HIV/AIDS is needed more than ever, and nobody can be a free rider. It has to be a top priority for us all. Nationally and internationally. In business, government and civil society. Discussing lessons learned today is important, but more important is what we do tomorrow; our actions will speak louder than words.

And action is desperately needed.. This is not merely a fight against a disease. It is a war with many fronts. It is a war against poverty. Against ignorance. And against social exclusion. In favour of empowerment of women. The epidemic can only be contained through a comprehensive and multisectoral response.

Our response should also be based on a global partnership. The containment of SARS has demonstrated the importance and effectiveness of international cooperation and coordination. Multilateralism works. The threat we face transcends borders, and we must do the same. The U.N. is the only organisation that knows no borders. It can thus provide its member states with a platform for worldwide compassion and cooperation. Leadership in the war against HIV/AIDS should emanate from this platform, from this very room. In the words of Faye Wattleton, the only safe ship in a storm is leadership.

I would like to stress two points in particular.

First of all, the Netherlands is doing its fair share to fight HIV/AIDS, and we. will continue, in close partnership with all stakeholders, especially the business sector and civil society. We are the second-largest donor to UNAIDS, which does excellent work. It plays a crucial and catalytic role in the U.N. system and beyond. The Netherlands believes that respect for human rights, especially the rights of women, should fuel the fight against HIV/AIDS.

We have been fighting the disease successfully in our own country since 1985 and we have learned that it takes a three-part strategy to win.

The first element is acknowledging the problem and bringing it out in the open. The second is providing clear and evidence-based information about HIV/AIDS and safe sex. And the third is working with those who are vulnerable – homosexuals, sex workers, intravenous drug users, immigrants, young people and people living with HIV/AIDS – as well as with civil society.

These three elements have formed the heart of an effective national strategy for many years – a strategy emphasising prevention, but including care and treatment. Of course, there is still no room for complacency.

Recently, we decided to intensify our international HIV/AIDS policy, with a special emphasis on Africa. Our aim is to increase local capacity and political commitment in affected countries, while reducing the stigma of HIV/AIDS and addressing gender inequality. Another essential building block is cooperation with other donors. For instance, not long ago, the U.S. and the Netherlands agreed to cooperate on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care at the country level, starting in Rwanda and Ghana.

The second point I want to stress is that the overarching framework of our policy is the international consensus on development established at U.N. summits. One that deserves special mention is the International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in 1994. In our focus on HIV/AIDS, we should not forget the importance of sexual and reproductive health and rights. That includes services. We must also consider the rights of women, who are especially vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Without the effective and unabated implementation of the entire ICPD Programme of Action, there is no hope whatsoever of achieving the Millennium Development Goals or, more specifically, of containing the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Rational and realistic policies, based on science rather than prejudice, have produced glimmers of hope. The window of opportunity is still open. But it is closing fast, so we must shoulder our responsibilities to each other. To quote the English philosopher and politician Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”. So let us, as good men and good, empowered women, deliver on our commitments.

Thank you.