"Beginning of the End of AIDS" Event at White House

Obama Announces New U.S. Commitments to End AIDS Domestically, Globally

Speaking at the ONE campaign and (RED)'s "Beginning of the End of AIDS" event at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., to mark World AIDS Day on Thursday, "President Obama ... announced a deepened U.S. commitment to fighting the pandemic, declaring 'make no mistake, we are going to win this fight,'" ABC News reports (Bruce, 12/1). Obama said his administration is "setting a goal of providing antiretroviral [ARV] drugs to more than 1.5 million HIV-positive pregnant women over the next two years" to help prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission, and "setting a new target of helping six million people get [ARV] treatment by the end of 2013," two million more people than the original goal, according to the speech transcript (12/1). A White House fact sheet adds PEPFAR will support more than 4.7 million voluntary medical male circumcisions in Eastern and Southern Africa and the U.S. will distribute more than one billion condoms worldwide over the next two years. The fact sheet notes PEPFAR's "continued focus on lowering costs and finding efficiencies will allow us to achieve these ambitious targets with existing resources" (12/1).

Domestically, Obama said the administration will redirect $50 million to go toward HIV/AIDS programs, "committing an additional $15 million for the Ryan White Program that supports care provided by HIV medical clinics across the country" and "an additional $35 million for state AIDS-drug assistance programs," according to the speech (12/1). "The funds would come from existing resources and would not require congressional approval, a White House official said," according to Reuters (Bohan et al., 12/1).

Political Leaders, Celebrities Come Together for World AIDS Day Event

"A star-studded array of political and religious leaders -- from President Obama to rock legend Bono to AIDS activist Kay Warren -- came together Thursday for World AIDS Day to call for an entirely AIDS-free generation by 2015," the Washington Post reports, adding, "The event was sponsored by ONE and (RED)," both of which were co-founded by Bono (Kuhn, 12/1). "Former President George W. Bush and former President Bill Clinton, as well as Tanzania President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, telecom magnate Carlos Slim of Mexico, and singer/songwriter Elton John also joined the two-hour-long talkfest via video satellite link," ScienceInsider writes (Cohen, 12/1).

According to the Washington Post, "The speakers at the event, called 'The Beginning of the End of AIDS,' said that the science and medicine needed to eliminate AIDS already exists; all that is needed is for governments and individuals to fully commit themselves to that goal" (12/1). The Los Angeles Times' "Booster Shots" blog highlights a number of ways in which various organizations acknowledged the day, "some with proclamations about funding and AIDS awareness" (Stein, 12/1).