MANKIND IS IN A STATE OF WAR AND THE ENEMY IN THIS WAR IS SUCH THAT THE TRADITIONAL WEAPONS USED BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO FIGHT ITS ENEMIES ARE NO LONGER EFFECTIVE. THE SCALE OF THE TRAGEDY UNLEASHED BY THE HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC IS OF GLOBAL PROPORTIONS, ITS CONSEQUENCES ARE DEVASTATING, ITS IMPACT IN THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC FIELDS LEADS TO THE DISINTEGRATION OF FAMILIES AND OF ENTIRE COMMUNITIES AND THE EPIDEMIC CONTINUES TO SPREAD UNCONTROLLABLY. IT IS NOT WITH SOLEMN DECLARATIONS, HOWEVER CAREFULLY DRAFTED THEY MIGHT BE, NOR WITH SYMBOLIC GESTURES OF SOLIDARITY THAT WE WILL OVERCOME THIS CALAMITY WHICH IN 20 YEARS HAS CLAIMED THE LIVES OF 22 MILLION MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN, AND WHICH AT THIS VERY MOMENT IS LYING IN WAIT FOR 36 MILLION MORE HIV CARRIERS.

IF WE WISH TO SAVE HUMAN LIVES, BRING THE PANDEMIC UNDER CONTROL AND ULTIMATELY ELIMINATE IT FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH, WE MUST ACT NOW BY SEEKING NEW MODALITIES OF COOPERATION AND SOLIDARITY OPEN TO ALL, WITHOUT EXCLUSIONS, BY ADOPTING FLEXIBLE AND COMPREHENSIVE APPROACHES AND BY PURSUING MORE EFFECTIVE PROGRAMMES.

THIS MEANS FIRSTLY THAT WE MUST ADOPT AN INTEGRAL AND ALL-ENCOMPASSING APPROACH TO THE VARIOUS AND COMPLEX ASPECTS OF THE EPIDEMIC. THIS HOLISTIC APPROACH, HOWEVER, SHOULD NOT CAUSE US TO OVERLOOK THE SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EPIDEMIC IN EACH COUNTRY OR REGION. INSTEAD, IT SHOULD PERMIT US TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION THAT IS GEARED TO THE KNOWN CHARACTERISTICS IN EACH CASE. WE WOULD BE FAILING IN OUR RESPONSIBILITY IF WE FELL INTO THE TRAP OF FACILE REDUCTIONISM OR PARTIAL VISIONS THAT MUTILATE THE REALITY.

SECONDLY, A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM MEANS THAT WE MUST ACT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF HUMAN RIGHTS, WITH RESPECT FOR THE UNIVERSALITY, INDIVISIBILITY, INTERDEPENDENCE AND INTER-RELATIONSHIP OF THOSE RIGHTS, WHICH IS AN ESSENTIAL PRE-CONDITION FOR COMBATING THE STIGMA, SILENCE AND PREJUDICES ASSOCIATED WITH HIV/AIDS.

IT IS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS THAT WE PUT TO THE TEST OUR DECLARED COMMITMENT TO RESPECT AND ENABLE THE EFFECTIVE EXERCISE OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE, IN PARTICULAR FREEDOM FROM DISCRIMINATION AND EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW; FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND INFORMATION; THE RIGHT TO PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH; THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING; FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT; THE RIGHT TO RECEIVE AND TO BENEFIT FROM ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND THEIR APPLICATIONS; AND THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY.

URUGUAY, WHICH HAS MAINSTREAMED HUMAN RIGHTS INTO THE ELABORATION OF ITS STRATEGY TO COMBAT AIDS - WHICH, LET IT BE SAID IN PASSING, AFFECTS MAINLY VULNERABLE GROUPS - HAS ACHIEVED RESULTS THAT CONFIRM THE CORRECTNESS OF THIS APPROACH. SINCE 1984, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TIRELESSLY IN ALL AREAS RELATED TO PREVENTION, EDUCATION, DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MONITORING.

A NATIONAL AIDS PROGRAMME WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1987. FROM THE OUTSET, THE PROGRAMME HAS WORKED IN COOPERATION WITH WHO/PAHO AND, SINCE 1995, WITH UNAIDS.
 
 

IN 1996, THE FIRST STANDARDS FOR ANTIRETROVIRAL TREATMENT FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN WERE LAID DOWN AND SINCE 1997 ALL AIDS PATIENTS IN URUGUAY HAVE BEEN RECEIVING 100 PER CENT MEDICAL COVERAGE, INCLUDING THE PROVISION OF ALL ANTIRETROVIRAL DRUGS.

ALL OF THIS REQUIRES A MAJOR EFFORT BY THE COUNTRY IN TERMS OF BOTH HUMAN AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES, BUT THE EFFORT HAS BEEN REWARDED BY A REDUCTION IN THE RATE OF GROWTH OF THE EPIDEMIC, A DROP IN THE INCIDENCE OF VERTICAL MOTHER-TO-CHILD TRANSMISSION FROM 26 PER CENT TO 6 PER CENT, A DECLINE IN HOSPITALIZATION RATES AND AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE QUALITY OF LIFE AIDS PATIENTS.

THIRDLY, THE WAR AGAINST HIV/AIDS CANNOT BE WON WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME PERIOD IF WE DO NOT INVOLVE IN OUR EFFORTS THE NGOS AND THE CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTIONS, WHATEVER THEIR ORIENTATION. THE ACTIVITIES OF SUCH INSTITUTIONS MUST COMPLEMENT THOSE OF GOVERNMENTS. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGAINST AIDS CANNOT SUCCEED IF IT DOES NOT INVOLVE THE INTEGRATED EFFORTS OF  ALL AGENTS CONCERNED.

LASTLY, THERE IS ONLY ONE ROAD THAT MAY LEAD US TO WINNING THE WAR AGAINST AIDS: THE ROAD PAVED WITH FINANCIAL RESOURCES. THE PROBLEM OF AIDS IS A VERY COMPLEX ONE, BUT ITS SOLUTION HOLDS NO MYSTERIES AND CAN BE SUMMARIZED IN ONE WORD - RESOURCES. THE OVERWHELMING WAVE OF DEATH AND HUMAN MISERY THAT HIV/AIDS HAS UNLEASHED CAN BE COUNTERED ONLY IF THE NECESSARY RESOURCES ARE MADE AVAILABLE TO UNDERTAKE INTENSIVE AND BROAD-BASED PREVENTIVE PROGRAMMES; TO PROVIDE THE NECESSARY CARE, ASSISTANCE AND TREATMENT TO AIDS VICTIMS AND TO THOSE INFECTED BY THE VIRUS; TO REDUCE THE PRICES OF MEDICINES; TO EDUCATE AND PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EPIDEMIC; AND TO CARE FOR THE MILLIONS OF ORPHANS THAT IT HAS LEFT BEHIND IN ITS WAKE.

DESPITE THE FACT THAT IT IS CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING ITS WORST ECONOMIC CRISIS IN A HUNDRED YEARS, URUGUAY HAS JUST ESTABLISHED A NATIONAL FUND TO COMBAT AIDS TO FINANCE THE SUPPLY OF MEDICATIONS AND PARACLINICS THAT ARE NEEDED TO MANAGE THE INFECTION.

AND THIS IS WHERE THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HISTORY HAVE PLACED AN ENORMOUS RESPONSIBILITY ON THE COUNTRIES OF THE FIRST WORLD, THE ONLY COUNTRIES THAT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO PROVIDE THE RESOURCES TO FUND THE ACTIONS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL IF WE ARE TO LIBERATE THE WORLD FROM THIS SCOURGE. IT IS A RESPONSIBILITY, WHICH THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MOST POWERFUL COUNTRIES MUST SHARE WITH THE MAJOR ECONOMIC OPERATORS OF OUR WORLD. THE BENEFICIARIES OF THE GLOBALIZED ECONOMY MUST FINANCE THE FIGHT AGAINST THE GLOBALIZED EPIDEMIC. THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES IN PARTICULAR HAVE A MORAL DUTY TO FACILITATE ACCESS BY THOSE AFFECTED TO THEIR PRODUCTS.

IF IT WAS POSSIBLE TO ALLOCATE 200 BILLION DOLLARS TO GUARD AGAINST THE MILLENNIUM COMPUTER BUG WHICH, AFTER ALL, CAUSED NO VICTIMS, THEN IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE TO COLLECT THE 10 BILLION NEEDED TO COMBAT HIV/AIDS. THIS IS AN INVESTMENT IN SELF-DEFENSE, EVEN FOR THOSE COUNTRIES THAT ARE LEAST AFFECTED, BECAUSE THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS IN THE REMOTEST PART OF AFRICA OR LATIN AMERICA IS A FIGHT FOR SECURITY, WELL-BEING AND PEACE IN THE REST OF THE WORLD.