U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unveiled a blueprint Thursday that she says will lead to an AIDS-free generation.
The plan created by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) outlines specific steps the United States will take to work toward eradicating the disease globally.
Clinton's vision is to create a generation of children born without HIV, even if their parents carry the virus, with prevention and treatment readily available to everyone.
The blueprint outlines five goals including providing antiretroviral treatment globally and focusing on research.
Clinton emphasized the importance of eradicating stigmas and targeting high-risk populations that are usually hard to reach, such as sex workers, people who inject drugs and men who have sex with
men.
Clinton said it's one thing to have a plan, but it's also
important to implement it promptly. "I'm relentlessly focused on
delivering results," she said, "so that people don't lose heart."
According to Clinton, the plan relies on methods that have already
produced visible results. In the prevention field, the number of new
infections in countries in sub-Saharan Africa has dropped by half
this year due to reliable, evidence-based processes.
African Union Chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who was present
at the event, thanked Clinton for her efforts and urged continued
cooperation "for the best of humanity."
Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, praised Clinton's
focus on eradicating HIV through promoting human rights and fighting
violence against women.
"The strength of this blueprint is that it restores the sense of
hope to people," Sidibe said. "This blueprint is timely, topical and
catalytic."
PEPFAR created the plan in response to Clinton's 2011 call to
draft a global plan that can eradicate AIDS.
