Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

    When the human immunodeficiency virus was discovered on 5 June 1981, hardly anyone could have predicted, how tremendous and destructive an impact this virus would have on humanity - that it would indeed affect the lives of all of us, those infected and those not. We all had to learn how to live with the threat of the disease or indeed the disease itself. Twenty years later, the sheer statistical data are shocking: More than 36 million people currently living with HIV/AIDS, 22 million already fallen victim to the endemic, 13 million children orphaned by the disease. The projections for the future are even more somber. These numbers speak volumes, and they do not even talk about the other dimensions of the pandemic: The breakdown of families and entire communities, the destruction of the social fabric, the devastating effects on national economies and the countless untold stories of social exclusion, stigmatization and individual suffering. We are facing a global crisis - but the epidemic has taken its most devastating toll in Africa, in particular in its sub-Saharan region.

Mr. President

    The HIV/AIDS epidemic knows no national boundaries and has reached global dimensions a long time ago. The United Nations is thus the international organization, which faces an enormous challenge in designing a response to this global public health crisis. We therefore welcome this Special Session as a historic opportunity and wish to thank in particular Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his strong personal commitment to the issue. This Special Session has already been a big success through raising awareness and focusing the interest of a large public on the continuing HIV/AIDS crisis. Now, we are called upon as Governments to add to this success through the adoption of a clear and strong political message. We have to commit ourselves to respond globally - both through national action and international cooperation - to the pandemic.

Mr. President

    Clearly, the HIV/AIDS endemic has to be addressed in different ways in different countries and regions. Underlying issues of a structural nature such as poverty and education pose enormous difficulties in certain countries and regions, in others they are less important factors. Cultural factors are important everywhere, but they are not the same everywhere. The groups and individuals, which are at particular risk also vary from country to country and from region to region. There is thus no easy answer to this very complex problem - an approach, which proves effective in one country, may be misdirected somewhere else. 1t is necessary to keep this fact in mind. 1t is also of critical importance that we are willing to share our respective experiences - to share the lessons which all of us have learned so others can benefit from them as well.

Mr. President

    1t is our experience that prevention, which leads to a drastic reduction or - ideally - elimination of new infections is indeed the core of an effective response to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS. This approach has proven effective not only in our region, but also in many other countries. Prevention is based on information and education, access for everybody to related services and the promotion and protection of human rights. 1t requires openness and the political will to address the real issues and their root-causes and the ability to recognize that marginalization and stigmatization of persons infected with the H1 virus only exacerbates the crisis and contributes to the further spread of the disease. Clearly, the prevailing local and national circumstances have to form the basis of all prevention strategies, in particular the identification of groups, which are at special risk of contracting the virus. Governmental action and leadership are critical, and so is the involvement of civil society, in particular people living with HIV/AIDS themselves.

Mr. President

    The focus on prevention should not undermine the attention we attribute to the issue of care and treatment of infected people. Access to medication is certainly the key issue in this respect, and we believe that the human right of every individual to the highest attainable standards of living can and must be reconciled with the existing legal standards in the area of intellectual property rights. There is also a clear responsibility of the business sector in this respect, and we are gratified to note that discussions in this respect are underway.

Mr. President

    1n conclusion, I would like to emphasize that the Government of Liechtenstein supports the establishment of a Global Fund to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic. National strategies can only be successful, if they are funded adequately, and there needs to be a strong international component in these efforts. The Government is currently considering its contribution and we hope to be able to announce it as soon as possible.

I thank you, Mr. President.