Mr. President,

This General Assembly session is of special political significance as an effort to formulate a global response to a devastating HIV/AIDS crisis. We also see it as a sign that the international community has come to consider the fight against HIV/AIDS as one of its top priority tasks. My country is ready to render its contribution to actions which, we hope, will follow as a result of agreements to be reached at this session.

Mr. President,

In years past, the HIV/AIDS epidemic followed its slow, but steady pace in Yugoslavia. At present, there are 900 AIDS patients, with just over 1 000 registered HIV infected persons. However, according to some estimates up to 10 000 people may be HIV positive. All this places Yugoslavia among the countries with a low prevalence. Nevertheless, these data are to be understood in relative terms since the prevalence rate is still higher than the one in most countries in our immediate vicinity. Moreover, Yugoslavia has the agglomeration of all factors known to favour the outbreak and fast progress of the epidemic. They include:

- A long-lasting economic crisis afflicting all segments of society and affecting the functioning of the most important systems such as health and social protection or education. Each of the systems has serious difficulties in fulfilling even its basic functions;
- Stratification of society and the emergence of new social tendencies that threaten traditional values;
- Increase in crime and violence;
- Increase in prostitution;
- Easy access to narcotic drugs and inappropriate anti-drug legislation;
- Large migrations and a great number of refugees and displaced persons; and
- Of course, prolonged armed conflicts in and around the country.

These factors have been there over a number of years, providing for a serious risk that the epidemic would change its nature and transform itself from a silent and slow affair into an eruptive one as we have already witnessed in some countries of the broader region of Eastern Europe. They account, in particular, for the vulnerability of young people, for whom the risk-taking behaviour becomes the basic life style and the matter of choice.

Mr. President,

Faced with these problems, the government of my country is ready to respond to the existing challenges in a systematic way, even though there are many obstacles to doing this quickly and effectively. Yugoslavia is therefore prepared to make considerable efforts in mobilizing resources to combat HIV/AIDS. The measures envisaged include the establishment of a national committee for HIV/AIDS; assistance to non-governmental organizations and civil society at large; special focus on young people and preventive programmes for them; and measures aimed at protecting the rights of the people living with HIV/AIDS. We are also ready to join forces and address the problem at the regional level, since the epidemic, as we are all aware, recognizes no borders.

Unfortunately, there are serious limitations in the involvement of the government as resources are scarce and cannot be re-located from other sectors as they are simply unavailable elsewhere. For example, almost empty coffers of health insurance companies hardly provide any comfort and relief as they enable only 20 per cent of AIDS patients to get medical treatment. This forbids the use of resources in preventive activities as they would have to be taken from other equally urgent needs.

Like many other countries, including in South East Europe, Yugoslavia is not in the position to fight all these difficulties alone. We know that the scope of the HIV/AIDS epidemic is enormous in Africa and some other regions and that its consequences are particularly hard there. We therefore support the concept envisaged in the Draft Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS providing for special attention by the international community to those areas. However, we are of the opinion that our ,region needs appropriate international assistance as well. Prevention now will save many lives later. In that context, Yugoslavia welcomes the proposal made by the Secretary-General to set up a fund as a mechanism to mobilize additional finances in order to help national programmes and strategies and to ensure the use of the resources in the most effective way by those who need them the most. From our part, we will do our best to play a constructive role in fighting HIV/AIDS both globally and regionally.

Thank you, Mr. President.