Mr. President; Excellencies; Distinguished Colleagues.

    I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this important United Nations Special Session on HIV/AIDS. An occasion charged with the crucial task of producing an effective global strategy to combat one of the deadliest scourges affecting humanity. My delegation wishes to thank Ambassadors Penny Wensley of Australia and Ibra Ka of Senegal, for their tireless efforts in co-facilitating the negotiations on the draft declaration of commitments on HIV/AIDS.

    This historic event is a testimony of our collective political will to address an epidemic of global proportions. An epidemic: that respects no national borders; that is threatening all the development targets in an increasing number of developing countries; and that has greatly affected the trajectory of human development. In addition, the HIV/AIDS pandemic has had a tragic impact on the fulfillment of children's rights - the focus of another important UN special session, this September.

Mr. President,

    Although Solomon Islands has a relatively low record of HIV/AIDS cases, we cannot afford to be complacent. With a sexually active and mobile population and given the increases in other sexually transmitted infections, there is potential for further HIV/AIDS infections. For a small island developing state like ours whose most vital resource is its people or human resources, the AIDS pandemic is a serious and direct threat to human security and to social and economic development. It is a new and lethal source of vulnerability, exacerbating existing environmental and economic vulnerabilities. Our small population and struggling economy would not be able to cope with an outbreak of the disease. Still recovering from a two-year ethnic crisis, an outbreak of the disease would be completely devastating. Above all, care and treatment would be extremely difficult to afford. Therefore, like previous speakers, my delegation firmly believes that prevention must be the mainstay in combating HIV/AIDS.

    In this regard, my government through the Ministry of Health and Medical Services has already undertaken a number of policy measures and preventive strategies including a multi-sectoral plan to combat HIV/AIDS. Specific activities include, HIV/AIDS education and awareness raising campaigns such as radio programs and dramas or plays depicting the potential impacts of AIDS on our society. There is a need to institutionalize HIV/AIDS education and to expand awareness raising activities in the rural areas, taking into account cultural sensitivities. To do so, one has to address the following obstacles: the lack of resources; lack of trained personnel; communication and information dissemination problems due to the diversity of our local languages and culture; low levels of literaey; and geography. There is also a need to improve coordination of activities at the provincial level.

    Besides, awareness raising activities, my Ministry has also conducted HIV testing on vulnerable groups including individuals with sexually transmitted infections and relapses of tuberculosis, blood donors, as well as those who are clinically suspected of related AIDS diseases. Inadequate HIV testing facilities and trained manpower especially in the provinces; the lack of support services such as counseling expertise in the management of HIV infections; and stigma have made wider testing of potential carriers of the virus, difficult.

    Like others, Solomon Islands strongly supports a multi-sectoral approach to prevention, involving the public and private sector, civil society, and non-governmental organizátions including churches. Substantial financial resources, however, are required to effectively implement national HIV/AIDS action plans and strategies.

Mr. President,

    We know the severity of the AIDS epidemic but we do not always agree on how to address it. If HIV/AIDS s a disease of poverty, ignorance, sexual promiscuity, and gender discrimination, and has the greatest effect on poor women and children; a global strategy to combat it must integrate balanced and practical measures to confront all the issues therein. Denial or the lack of emphasis on any of them would only help to spread the disease. Concerted national action and multilateral cooperation, in both its prevention and tare dimensions, and in mitigating the impact on families, communities and whole societies is fundamental. These efforts should integrate a gender dimension. In other words, the pandemic can ouly be tackled by a global campaign to create enabling environments for prevention and control, and interventions which protect human rights, provide better care and improve access to services for people living with HIV/AIDS. Above all, we need to develop an effective and affordable vaccine if we are to stop further infections.

    Finally, Mr. President, current global HIV/AIDS statistics and trends are extremely scary. In the absence of a cure, the world must treat the continuing increase in infections as a desperate situation, which requires a vigorous and concerted response. In this regard, the Secretary General's proposal to establish a Global AIDS and Health Fund to combat the disease is a concrete step forward. Solomon Islands wishes to express its gratitude to those governments, foundations and individuals, which have already indicated support. We must build on this momentum. Failure to do so will cost present and future generations the battle against HIV/AIDS.

I thank you Mr. President.