Mr. President,

At the outset on behalf of the Polish delegation, I would like to express our satisfaction at seeing you presiding over the General Assembly special session devoted to the issue of HIV and AIDS and congratulate you on the excellent manner in which you have been leading the 55thGeneral Assembly. Let me forward words of respect and appreciation to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. As the head of the Polish delegation and at the same time, the Minister of Health, I would like to pay tribute to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly for the commitment to fight the global scourge of HIV/AIDS, which was expressed in his 5e World Health Assembly address and which is also proven by this special session.
 

Mr. President, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We meet here at a very special time. The. first report of five cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia among previously healthy young men was published, as a small case series, twenty years ago, on June 5, 1981. We entered the new millennium and the world is still facing the challenge of responding to the AIDS pandemic. The discrepancy between predictions and actual rates of increase in infection prevalence is significant. Today we call the pandemic "the Global AIDS Crisis".

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is worsening, not only in Africa but also in parts of Asia and .Latin America. At the same time there is an explosive growth of the disease in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. HIV infections will probably spread further in the region as a result of a large number of injecting drug users, increasing rates of STIs, the growing commercial sex industry, and side?effects of socioeconomic transition.

Despite these trends, even countries with modest resources, like Poland, have demonstrated that the epidemic can be stabilized or reversed. In Poland, like in all of these countries, successful programs have included strong, high-level political leadership for HIV prevention, a national program plan, adequate funding with allocation of resources, and strong community involvement. The increase in HIV infection and AIDS deaths has also led to raising aid from governments, international and national organizations and foundations.

In this context I would like to add that there are estimated 15 000 people living with HIV and AIDS in our country. Since the beginning of the epidemic (1985) up to the present 7000 HIV cases have been detected in Poland and 1300 people have been treated with antiretroviral therapy. 992 AIDS cases have been diagnosed and 525 deaths due to AIDS have been registered for the period.

As the world is shrinking due to transportation, communication, trade and commercial activity, the insight into emerging infections such as HIV and AIDS of epidemic potential, becomes increasingly important not only to public health practitioners.
 

Mr. President, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the situation we are faced with, the contribution of international, governmental and non?governmental organizations to international cooperation in the context of HIV and AIDS-related human rights by, inter alia, working on advancing HIV and AIDS prevention and care programs, facilitating access to HIV and AIDS treatment and care, and sharing knowledge, experiences and achievements concerning HIV and AIDS related issues,' is a key element of addressing AIDS pandemic.

The epidemic is a global problem, and addressing the disease and its consequences on particularly vulnerable groups and societies worldwide requires an international response. Cooperation on both global and regional level is essential to effectively integrate and harmonize different strategies. That will also help strengthen efforts to fight HIV/AIDS and defray treatment costs. Only effective global partnerships could .prevail over global diseases.