Mr. President,

In two decades, the problem of HIV/AIDS has become a truly global emergency. The epidemic has continued its relentless and merciless spread across continents, hitting harder in some places than others but sparing no country. Today, we are facing terrible figures - more than 50 million people around the world are living with HIV/AIDS - the vast majority of them in sub-Saharan Africa.

On behalf of the Government and people of Azerbaijan, we express our sincere sympathy to Governments and people of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Malawi, Djibouti, Mozambique and to all other affected African, Asian, Caribbean, Eastern European countries who despite all the difficulties are rising up against the disease and the suffering.
 

Mr. President,

As outlined in the Report of the Secretary-General (A/55/779), the countries of the former USSR present some of the most dramatic trends in the worldwide AIDS epidemic. A complicated backdrop of economic crisis, rapid social change, increased poverty and unemployment, growing prostitution and changes in sexual norms have all contributed to fuelling the rapid spread of HIV throughout the region.

Azerbaijan is experiencing the humanitarian emergency of 1 million refugees and displaced persons caused by the conflict with the neighbouring Armenia. All this, along with the huge migration of Azerbaijan's population into the countries of the former USSR, creates conditions for the rapid spread of HIV in the country.

To cope with this scourge a number of necessary and important measures have been taken at national level. In 1990, National Center For Combating HIV/AIDS was established. This governmental institution is a primary body to provide all possible assistance to the needed. In 1996, the Milli Mejlis - Parliament of Azerbaijan adopted law on the prevention of AIDS. In 1997, the country's Government approved National Programme on AIDS prevention. Unfortunately, shortage of financial resources doesn't allow to unfolding the Programme to the fullest.

Taking this opportunity, I wish to express our gratitude to UNAIDS and its co-sponsors for a pilot project implemented in Azerbaijan earlier. However, at present, we are deeply concerned that our country is not a participant of any project and do hope for a quicker solution of the matter.
 

Mr. President,

Analyzing the 20-year experience, we have to recognize that results of the fighting against HIV/AIDS are still far from satisfactory. Therefore, the time has come to reconsider strategy and tactics of combating this problem at national, regional and global levels.

We are certain that all aspects of addressing the problem are pivotal. We fully share the Secretary-General's approach with the prevention as its first objective. We must do our best to halt and reverse the spread of the virus, notably by mobilizing young people - who at greatest risk of infection - in their own protection.

We must prevent the most cruellest, most unjust infection of all - those that pass from mother to child. All mothers must be able to find out whether they are HIV-positive or not. And those who are must have access to anti-retroviral therapy, which has been shown to halve the risk of transmission.

It needless to say how vitally important is to put care and treatment within everyone's reach. The access to treatment for people with HIV must be dramatically improved.

And last but not least, the achievement of tangible scientific breakthroughs. We are still a long way from fording a cure for HIV/AIDS, and a long way from finding a vaccine against it.

The foregoing clearly manifests how complex and difficult the problem is and that the combating HIV/AIDS demands concerted efforts and decisive actions of all of us.

Our delegation supports the draft Declaration of Commitments on HIV/AIDS "Global Crisis - Global Action" we are going to adopt, and strongly believes it will be a decisive step forward and it will lay down a solid foundation for joint effective responses against this scourge.