Mr. President,

    I would like to join the previous speakers who have congratulated you on your election as President of this 26th Special Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations on HIV/AIDS and to express the hope of the Republic of Macedonia that the Declaration of Commitments that the Assembly is going to adopt will be an important part of the efforts of our Organization to fight the epidemic and also a crucial step in raising awareness about the disease.

    Before I state the views of my Government, let me stress the important role and the effort of the Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Kofi Annan who did so much for the success of this initiative. I would also like to mention the contribution of my colleagues, Ambassador Wensley of Australia and Ambassador Ka of Senegal for their successful preparation of this special session.
    The epidemic of HIV/AIDS that we are facing globally, has acquired such catastrophic proportion that we have to respond together with very strong determination and urgency to fight it. The Governments, the private sector and non-governmental organizations should join all their forces for a massive mobilization against the epidemic. In this respect, we share the view of the Secretary-General that "the world has the resources to defeat this epidemic, if it really wants to". We hope that that will happen. The Republic of Macedonia will make its contribution in this common endeavor against the HIV/AIDS disease.

Mr. President,

    The HIV/AIDS disease in the Republic of Macedonia is a relatively new phenomenon. However, there are signs and factors favorable for the disease to spread. The first HIV positive case was registered in 1987 and the first AIDS case in 1989. In April of this year, the number of officially registered HIV/AIDS cases was 56, 40 cases with AIDS and 16 cases registered as HIV positive. The number of people deceased as a result of AIDS is 36 out of 40 people. However, this data does not reflect the real situation. 99% of the registered HIV cases came to the hospitals by themselves because of health problems related to the infection.

    The disease in our country has been spread  by heroin users and by heterosexuals. Vertical transmission has also been detected. The age of mostly infected is between 20-29 years. Both male and female are affected.

    The Republic of Macedonia is at the crossroads of the Balkans. We are continuously fighting against illegal drug trafficking, illegal trafficking of small arms and light weapons, illegal tracking of people, now with the Albanian terrorists. All this is a good ground for the spread of this disease.

    Since 1997 the National HIV/AIDS Programme has been implemented through the Ministry of Health, mainly oriented to address the health aspects of HIV/AIDS. The Ministry of Health has established a National AIDS Commission. It is entrusted with the implementation of the professional side of the " Programme for Protection of the Population of Macedonia from AIDS". The National HIV/AIDS Commission, together with the UN agencies accredited in the country and organized into a UN Theme Group, has been assigned the responsibilities to develop and implement a comprehensive multisectorial National Strategic Plan for the next 3-4 years.

    This program is a continuation of the intensive efforts for the implementation of the measures and activities aimed at preventing and wiping out the HIV infection and AIDS in Macedonia, applying attitudes and guidelines recommended by WHO, UNICEF and other UN organizations. Measures and activities undertaken for applying the program are the following: system of epidemiological investigation and surveillance, laboratory research, education of the health workers, and health education for the whole population, especially for the group of people with risky behavior.

    Due to financial problems, regretfully the Ministry of Health during the last decade had to abandon most of the preventive programs. The Government is financially supporting the public health sector, while NGOs are trying to find external financial support.

    The Republic of Macedonia collaborates closely with the neighboring countries to monitor the progress of the HIV threat on a regional basis.

Mr. President,

    The preparations for this session have clearly demonstrated that the implementation of the targets adopted at the UN Millennium Summit is imperative before the international community. There is no doubt that the prevention must be the mainstay of our response, that the care, support and treatment must be effective, that we have to pay special attention to the vulnerable. All efforts against the HIV/AIDS epidemic are important, at a national, regional and global level as well as strong leadership at all levels of society is essential. We place high hope on the implementation of the Declaration we are going to adopt and on the effectiveness of the proposed Global Fund on AIDS and Health by the Secretary- General of our Organization.

    Let me conclude this statement by stressing that our battle against HIV/AIDS should be seen as an important part of the battle against poverty, for development, that unprecedented mobilization of resources is needed and that global response and solidarity are essential.

Thank you.