Mr. President,

Israel welcomes the convening of this Special Session of the General Assembly and we are gratified that the Secretary-General has now raised the global threat of HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa, to the top of the international agenda.

This special session provides a forum for an historic opportunity for us to reaffirm the commitment of the international community to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS. But the magnitude of the threat, and the tremendous human costs which it entails, mandates that we act decisively. And our actions must be focused on two primary issues: the global nature of the AIDS crisis that threatens every country on Earth, and the tragic situation that imperils the future of the African continent.

The international community can no longer ignore the fact that Africa has become increasingly exposed and vulnerable. Two-thirds of the global population infected with HIV lives in Africa where social and economic development has been set back more than a decade.

While Africa suffers disproportionately from HIV/AIDS, the disease and its devastating consequences are by no means confined to the continent. AIDS is spreading, in Asia and the Caribbean, in Latin America and elsewhere, with no regard for nations or borders, for race or for gender. As the nature and consequences of the problem are global in scope, so must be our response. All nations, Governments, international organizations, the private sector and individuals must resolve, and unite in a comprehensive worldwide effort, to halt the spread of AIDS and to care for those already suffering.

In this connection, Israel welcomes the Secretary-General's global call to action and commends him for establishing a global fund to combat AIDS, which will position the United Nations to lead the worldwide effort against the spread of the disease.

Israel stands ready to contribute its share to this global effort following the decision of the Israeli Foreign Ministry this past January to fully engage in the international fight against AIDS.

In the course of this special session, Israel will eagerly explore ways to contribute our skills and expertise to the international effort. Israel's capabilities in the fields of technology transfer, modern agriculture, economic and social development, medicine and public health, community development, and education stand at the ready. We have explored the possibility of a Compact Mobile Unit (CMU), a sort of mobile health unit that provides preventative assistance, diagnostic and clinical support, and mother and childcare in hard to reach areas. Israel is capable of consulting and assisting in the establishment of institutions for AIDS orphans in light of our unique experience dealing with youth immigration and youth educational institutions. We are ready and willing to do all that we can and we are committed to forging partnerships that will enable our expertise to be most usefully employed.

In Israel, we are fortunate to have a relatively low prevalence of HIV/AIDS. As of 1 June 2000, 690 AIDS cases and 2,402 HIV positive individuals had been reported to the Ministry of Health since the outbreak of the epidemic in 1980. Nevertheless, we have developed an extensive infrastructure to test, treat, educate and care for infected individuals, coordinated by the Ministry of Health. The Ministry has developed comprehensive educational programs focusing on preventing infection, and provides treatment and follow-up for those already infected, including universally available antiretroviral cocktails provided at little cost to the patient. Our partnership with NGO's has also been fruitful, particularly with the Jerusalem AIDS project, which sponsors educational programs, increases awareness of AIDS among the general public, lobbies for the rights of patients with AIDS, and conducts training workshops in over twenty countries.

Mr. President

It has been nothing less than chilling to listen to the speakers in this debate, Heads of State and Government citing the devastating figures charting the advance of the AIDS pandemic, offering grave statistics to describe the devastation wrought by the disease, and issuing heartfelt pleas to the nations of the world to act quickly and decisively. In the face of this it is easy to despair. But we dare not. The people of the world are looking at us today with hope and for their sake, for the sake of all of us, our children, and the future of humankind, we must commit ourselves to eradicating the scourge of AIDS from the face of the planet.

The nature of a global pandemic in our increasingly complex and interconnected world requires new thinking, bold leadership, and courageous and timely action. Let us ensure that this special session produce genuine results, and that we bear constant reminder that, ultimately, the success of this session will be measured in something no less precious than human life.

As the old dictum states: "whoever saves a single life it is as if he has saved the entire world." In this spirit, Israel will do everything in its power to contribute to the global effort to fight the AIDS pandemic and we encourage all participants in this session to adopt concrete action as a top priority.

Thank you Mr. President