Remarks by Ambassador Michael W. Marine

East Asia and the Pacific Regional Consultation
on Children and HIV/AIDS

Hanoi, March 22, 2006

Your Excellency, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and children delegates,  good morning and thank you for coming today to the East Asia and the Pacific Regional Consultation on Children and HIV/AIDS.

This conference brings together a diverse group of delegates representing governments throughout the region, donor and international agencies, civil society and perhaps, most importantly, a delegation of youth under the age of 18.  Over the next few days, you will have a unique opportunity to share best practices and develop plans for accelerating access to prevention, care and treatment services for children affected by HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific.
 
Before sharing with you my personal expectations for this important consultation, I would like to take a moment to recognize the dedication and commitment of the men and women, in Vietnam and around the world, who are working tirelessly to turn back the huge threat posed by HIV/AIDS.  I am proud to say that among their ranks are hundreds of Americans.  But my fellow country men and women understand well that the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic, if it is to be effective and sustainable, must truly be led by the people and governments of our host nations.  It must also involve meaningful partnerships -- partnerships between governments, different donor agencies, non-governmental organizations and civil society, including people living with HIV/AIDS.  Inclusion of PLWHA is vital – no program can hope to be successful without their direct and early involvement.
 
As we all know too well, HIV/AIDS does not discriminate.  It strikes the rich and the poor, the privileged and the marginalized.  Children are by nature a vulnerable group, and they are especially vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and its effects.  And all too often, they are the least well-equipped to cope with its ravages.  Recent studies have indicated that, across the world, more than 13 million children under the age of 15 have already lost a parent to HIV.  It is predicted that by 2010 one or both parents of 25 million children worldwide will have died from HIV/AIDS. According to UNAIDS, 121,000 children were estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific by the end of 2004, with an estimated 47,000 children newly infected last year alone.
 
To date, the issue of orphans and vulnerable children has not been a major part of the debate surrounding HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific.  I believe it is time for that to change and I am hopeful this meeting will generate a new focus on the problems HIV/AIDS causes for children. Without question, as the epidemic spreads and intensifies, Asia’s children will increasingly feel the impact of HIV.  The  numbers of orphans and vulnerable children will mount, and we need to implement programs now to deal with their needs.  Due to deepening poverty as well as stigma and discrimination, these children may have inadequate access to health care and may be excluded from education and other social opportunities critical to their healthy development.  This must change.

We need to implement programs now that reduce the vulnerability of children to HIV/AIDS, as well as to ensure that children affected by HIV/AIDS have access to quality treatment, care and support services.  Some key approaches include expanding life-skills education for youth, preventing maternal-child transmission, strengthening capacity for pediatric care and treatment, building comprehensive, family-centered care and support services, and ensuring that young people have the information they need to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. We also need to work together to reduce stigma and discrimination in the community, in schools and in the health care setting.  Stigma and discrimination against PLWHA are wrong and harmful to all of us.  We must find ways to eliminate it and we must ensure that no child living with HIV/AIDS suffers from it. 

Through President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief,  the United States is working closely with many other countries to combat HIV/AIDS.  Globally, the Emergency Plan has been up and running for over two years, and has been supporting programs in Vietnam since mid-2004.
 
Under the Emergency Plan’s five-year strategy, the United States and its partners are now fighting HIV/AIDS with programs in over 120 countries around the world, with a strategic focus on 15 countries that together account for over one-half of the world’s 40 million HIV infections.  Vietnam is one of these focus countries.

One key aspect of the Emergency Plan is to offer support to families, communities and nations in meeting the needs of children affected by HIV/AIDS, including children living with HIV/AIDS who need care and treatment, and those made vulnerable by the illness or death of loved ones.  Last year, U.S. partnerships with host nations reached over 1.2 million such children, allowing them to go to school, to have opportunities to play and learn, and to get the food and health care they need for healthy development -- in short, to be children.  I look forward to expanding our work together here in Asia and the Pacific to help orphans and vulnerable children threatened by HIV/AIDS.

As we know too well, the fight against HIV/AIDS will take decades.  But by coming together to share best practices and develop innovative strategies, we can aggressively confront HIV/AIDS and help reduce its impact on children.  Your work over the next several days is a vital step in that process;  please do it well.
 
Thank you very much .